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SOFT MATTER

Weaving smooth 3D shapes with curved ribbons

Nature Reviews Physics volume 3, page 607 (2021)Cite this article

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Beautiful things such as baskets or decorative objects with complex 3D surfaces can be crafted with triaxial weaving, a method that uses three sets of parallel ribbons in the weave. Traditionally, the ribbons used in weaving are straight, and the curvature of the finished object is created by either varying the ribbon spacings or by inserting topological defects, for example, pentagons or heptagons in a regular hexagonal pattern. However, the curvature obtained in these ways is discrete, which limits the shapes that can be created. A collaboration between art and science shows how to overcome the limits of traditional weaving techniques as reported in Physical Review Letters. Changyeob Baek and colleagues, including weaver Alison Martin, report that tuning the in-plane curvature of the ribbons makes it possible to vary the curvature of the weave continuously and craft smooth 3D shapes.

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References

Original article

  • Baek, C. et al. Smooth triaxial weaving with naturally curved ribbons. Phys. Rev. Lett. (in the press)

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  1. Nature Reviews Physics https://www.nature.com/natrevphys/

    Iulia Georgescu

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  1. Iulia Georgescu
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Correspondence to Iulia Georgescu.

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Georgescu, I. Weaving smooth 3D shapes with curved ribbons. Nat Rev Phys 3, 607 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-021-00367-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-021-00367-6

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