Simulation Calibration Of Differentiated Knitted Membranes With Evolutionary Optimisation Tools

Abstract

Knit, with its inherent flexibility and ability to integrate bespoke material performance, creates a promising alternative to traditionally woven membranes in architectural textile applications. The CNC-knitting technology allows for the manufacturing of membranes with gradient expansion properties by numerically controlling the distribution of varied stitches. In architectural knitted structures, material programming is used to achieve complex bespoke three-dimensional surfaces at a large scale, with a minimum residual waste during continuous digital manufacturing2–4. This permits to depart from the cut-pattern-based strategy commonly used for woven non-expandable membranes while allowing for the integration of multiple material properties in a single production process.

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