|
|
Oricalco - thermal shape memory fabric
The first orthogonal weaving example of Nitinol.
The
'Thermal Shape Memory Alloy' is characterized by its
extraordinary ability to recover any shape, pre-programmed, upon
heating. Until today this light weight alloy with about 50% Titanium
inside has been used in advanced sectors like space and recently in
medical applications. Moreover this fabric is the first for which the
shape memory alloy, named Nitinol, was weaved orthogonally that is to
say that Oricalco is the first fabric with shape memory capacities
created industrally.
Through the Technology Transfer Programme of the ESA, Grado Zero Espace
has transferred this
knowledge in traditional sectors like the textile one.
In this framework, Grado Zero Espace has used Thermal Shape Memory
metals as a
fabric for the manufacturing of a shirt with long sleeves
which was
made in this fabric. The sleeves fabric could be programmed to shorten
immediately as the room temperature became a few degree hotter. The
fabric can be screwed up into a hard ball, pleated and creased then
just by a flux of hot air (even a hairdyer) pop back automatically to
its former shape.
|
|
