Abstract
In woven textile-form design, layers may be stacked in a pleat structure, in order to provide greater area from a limited weaving width, or to create shaping in a rectangular cloth. The layers are typically joined by weaving them together where their edges meet. However, this method of joining creates a thickened seam, and may prevent the layers from opening flat. This paper presents a woven textile hinge structure, which enables joined layers to be opened flat, without adding extra thickness, or requiring further finishing. Its utility is demonstrated through the Twistbox, an eight-layer textile-form, woven flat, which unfolds into a cube, and can be collapsed and unfolded indefinitely. The structure was produced through experimental design research, in the context of a bio-inspired design collaboration. Inspired by natural suture structures, the hinge structure broadens possibilities for woven textile-form design, while its development provides a case for how biomimetics may be applied in textile design.
Keywords
weaving; textile-form design; biomimetics; suture structure
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/TI-2023/108
Citation
Walters, K.,and Kapsali, V.(2023) From Boxfish to Twistbox: Developing a Woven Textile Hinge Through Bio-inspired Design, in Tincuta Heinzel, Delia Dumitrescu, Oscar Tomico, Sara Robertson (eds.), Proceedings of Textile Intersections Conference 2023, 20 - 23 September, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/TI-2023/108
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Biotextiles and sustainable textiles
Included in
From Boxfish to Twistbox: Developing a Woven Textile Hinge Through Bio-inspired Design
In woven textile-form design, layers may be stacked in a pleat structure, in order to provide greater area from a limited weaving width, or to create shaping in a rectangular cloth. The layers are typically joined by weaving them together where their edges meet. However, this method of joining creates a thickened seam, and may prevent the layers from opening flat. This paper presents a woven textile hinge structure, which enables joined layers to be opened flat, without adding extra thickness, or requiring further finishing. Its utility is demonstrated through the Twistbox, an eight-layer textile-form, woven flat, which unfolds into a cube, and can be collapsed and unfolded indefinitely. The structure was produced through experimental design research, in the context of a bio-inspired design collaboration. Inspired by natural suture structures, the hinge structure broadens possibilities for woven textile-form design, while its development provides a case for how biomimetics may be applied in textile design.