A Flexible Fabric Could Harden into a Temporary House or Bridge

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A Flexible Fabric Could Harden into a Temporary House or Bridge


August 20, 2021

By Lars Fischer

Read More: https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...use-or-bridge/

A material inspired by chain mail changes its properties from flexible to hard when it is pressurized. The fabric, developed by Chiara Daraio and her colleagues at the California Institute of Technology, can become more than 25 times as stiff as its original state, the team reports in Nature.

- The researchers constructed it from hollow octahedral subunits that interlock but are able to move against one another. Its special properties are based on a process known as “jamming.” When pressure is applied to the material, the octahedral elements become immobile. The fabric behaves as if it had suddenly turned into a solid body. Similarly, chain mail exhibits high-tensile strength to protect a warrior but is able to fit around the body. — Such structured materials those that can be shaped as required and that can solidify and loosen again on command are of interest for many technical applications. For example, they could serve as easily transportable construction materials for temporary buildings or bridges.

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