Knit materials have long been a playground for mathematicians to create complicated geometrical structures, e.g., Klein bottles, Mobius strips, and Boy’s surfaces. These advanced shapes are formed by the relations of their constituent stitches: the geometry and topology of stitches govern the equilibrium state of their fabrics. By changing the knit pattern, we alter the global properties of the fabric, making knit fabric a true metamaterial. We will first briefly overview how knits can be used to represent 2-manifolds in real space, then discuss an empirical model describing how yarn topology and length conservation govern the nonequilibrium behavior of a simple knit fabric and how more complex self-folding fabrics react to deformations.
The Zoom link will be sent to the Graduate Student and PDRA mailing lists. If you are not on one of those lists and are interested in attending, please email Mark Hirsbrunner at hrsbrnn2@illinois.edu for the link.
