Evolutionary approach of a textile designer through cross ... · PhD was sponsored by TWI: an engineering institution that specialise in materials joining and partnered ... Council

PAINE,GOLDSWORTHY&BAURLEY

©2017TheAuthors.PublishedbyLoughboroughUniversity.ThisisanopenaccessarticleundertheCCBY-NClicense(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Evolutionaryapproachofatextiledesignerthroughcross-disciplinaryresearchpractice:Acasestudyinthefieldofadvanced

methodsforjoiningtextiles

HelenPaine1,KateGoldsworthy2&SharonBaurley3

1. UniversityofArtsLondon;NorwichUniversityoftheArts2. UniversityofArtsLondon3. ZürichUniversityoftheArts(ZHdK);RoyalCollegeofArt

TDRG124

ThisitemwassubmittedtotheproceedingsoftheLoughboroughUniversityTextileDesignResearchGroupINTERSECTIONSConference2017bytheauthorHelenPaine.Citation:Paine,H.,Goldsworthy,K.&Baurley,S.(2017)Evolutionaryapproachofatextiledesignerthroughcross-disciplinaryresearchpractice:Acasestudyinthefieldofadvancedmethodsforjoiningtextiles.InProceedingsofIntersections:CollaborationsinTextileDesignResearchConference,13September2017,LoughboroughUniversityLondon,U.K.Availablefromwww.lboro.ac.uk/textile-research/intersections. AdditionalInformation:Publisher:LoughboroughUniversity(©TheAuthors)Rights:ThisworkismadeavailableaccordingtotheconditionsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0International(CCBY-NC4.0)licence.Fulldetailsofthislicenceareavailableat:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/



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PLEASECITETHEPUBLISHEDVERSION.

Abstract: This paper will discuss the evolving methodological approach of Helen Paine who has abackgroundinknittedtextilesforfashionandcompletedhercross-disciplinaryPhDatRCAin2016.ThePhDwassponsoredbyTWI:anengineeringinstitutionthatspecialiseinmaterialsjoiningandpartneredwithSpeedo International todevelopcapability in the fieldofadvancedmethods for joiningtextiles.Amulti-strategyframeworkthatencompassedbothcraft-designandscientificmethodswasappliedbytheresearchtoinvestigatenewopportunitiesforultrasonicandlaserweldingtechnologies.Specificinsightsrelatingtohowandwheneitheracraft-designorscientificapproachwasappliedthroughouttheresearchtrajectorywillbediscussedwiththeaimofcontributingtoanemergingmethodologyfortextile-designersengagingincross-disciplinaryresearchpractice.Keywords:Cross-disciplinarypractice;craftinnovation;materialfutures;emergingtechnologiesIntroductionTheconversationaroundthevalueofacraftapproachininventivecontextsisgraduallybecomingmoreestablished.Therearenowagrowingnumberofpublishedcasestudiesthatdiscussthevalueofthecraft-person,andparticularlyahands-onpracticalapproach,inthedevelopmentofnewtechnologiesandmaterials.ArecentreportjointlywrittenbytheCraftCouncilandKPMGdescribedthe‘spillovereffect’craftishavinginotherfieldswhenembeddedwithinacross-disciplinaryframework(KPMG2016).Acceleratedopportunitiesincollaborativepartnershipsbetweendifferentdisciplines,includingmakers,haveenabledthediscoveryofbreakthroughinventions.RosyGreenless,executivedirectorofTheCraftCouncil,creditstheroleofthecraftpractitionerinthedevelopmentof3Dprinting,theapplicationofprostheticsinsurgery,andthedesignofwearabletechnologiessettorevolutioniseourclothing(Greenless2016).ThispaperwilldiscusstheevolvingmethodologicalapproachofHelenPainewhohasabackgroundinknittedtextilesforfashionandcompletedhercross-disciplinaryPhDatRCAin2016(Paine2016).PainegraduatedfromherMAatRCAin2011andhadanestablishedhands-onpractice-ledcraftapproachtoinvestigatingtechnologies,specificallyknitandprinttechnologiesforafashionapplication.Insearchofwideningopportunitiesforherwork,PaineundertookaPhDin2012respondingtoanindustrydrivenbrieftoinvestigateadvancedmethodsforjoiningtextilesthathadbeenwrittenbytheprojectfundersTWI.The



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mainfocusfortheinvestigationwasdevelopmentofultrasonicweldingequipmentandanemerginglaserweldingtechnology.Ashiftinestablishedresearchmethodsasacraft-designerwasrequiredtomeettheindustry-drivenexpectationsofthebriefandanincreasinglyscientificapproachwasintegratedtodevelopamethodoflocallymodifyingtheelasticbehaviourofstretchyfabricsusinglasertechnologyforacompressiveeffectonthebodyineliteswimwearapplications.ThroughpreliminaryphasesoftheinvestigationindustrycasestudiesweresoughtinresponsetorequirementsofthebriefandSpeedoInternationalbecamethemainindustrialpartner.ThispaperwilldiscusshowPaine’sfamiliarmethodologicalapproachevolvedwiththeaimofcontributingtowardsanemergingmethodologyfortextileandothercraft-designersengagingincross-disciplinaryresearchpractice.Researchbackgroundandcontext TextilesjoiningatTWIThebriefforthisPhDresearchprojecthadbeenwrittenbyTWI(TheWeldingInstitute).TWIisanR&Dorganisationthatspecialiseinjoiningrigidmaterials,suchasmetalsandplastics,forindustrialapplications.TWIhasmorerecentlyacquiredexpertiseinthefieldofjoiningtextilesandhopedtoextendknowledgeinthisareabycommissioningthisresearchproject.TWI’sgrowinginterestintextilesjoiningfollowedtheircontributiontothedevelopmentofanemerginglaserweldingtechnologyfortextilesduringthemid-1990s(Jones,Patil2013).TransmissionlaserweldinghadpriortoTWI’sdevelopmentsbeenrestrictedbyitscapabilitytoonlyjoindissimilarcolouredplastics.Thismateriallimitationisduetotheparticularwavelengthofthelaserthatisrequiredtotransmitthroughthesurfacesubstratebeforebeingabsorbedbythelowerlayerintheconfiguration(Jones,Patil2013).TWIdiscoveredthatlaserabsorptivepigmentusuallycontainedwithinthebulkofthelowermateriallayercouldbeappliedattheinterfaceofthejointinliquidform.Thedyeisgreenwhenappliedtothefabricbutbecomesalmostcompletelyinvisibleonceirradiatedbythelaser,thuseliminatingtheneedforadissimilarcolouredadjoiningpartner.Thisrevolutionarydevelopmentallowedthejoiningofsamecolouredmaterialsandopenedupapplicationopportunitieswithinthetextilessectorwhereproductaestheticsareoftenafundamentalconsideration.TWIhavedemonstratedfeasibilityacrossnumerousproductsectorsincludingwaterproofclothing(Jones,Patil2013),inflatablecarairbags(Rooks2004),polyesterclothing(Hilton,Jones2000)andhomefurnishings(Jones2005).



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Figure1.MaterialconfigurationfortransmissionlaserweldingoftextilesImageCourtesyofTWI

ComingfromabackgroundintextiledesignPaine’sbackgroundpriortoundertakingthisresearchprojectwasinthefieldofknittedtextileforfashion.DuringherMAattheRoyalCollegeofArtshehaddevelopedaninterestincreatingnewmaterialsurfacesbycombiningknitandprintprocesses.ThisinterestgrewfromaliveindustrybriefsetbythetrendforecastingagencyWGSN.WGSNcommissionedstudentsatRCAtocreateinspirationalmaterialsurfacesfortheirwebsiteinresponsetokeyseasonaltrends.Painewasworkingunderthethemeof‘ceramic’andusedpolyfillaasamediumtocoatknittedtextileswatches.Thesamplesweremanipulatedwhilstwetanddriedtocreatecrackedsurfacefinishesreminiscentofagedunglazedpottery.Painedevelopedthesematerialsamplesforherfinalcollectionusingcommerciallyviabletextileprocesses.Acollectionofexperimentalfashiongarmentswasproduced.



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Figure2.WGSN‘ceramic’knittedsamplecoatedwithpolyfilla

Author’sown2010

Figure3.GarmentfromfinalMAcollectionAuthor’sown2011

ItwasduringtheMAinvestigationthatPainemetwithTWI.ShewasintroducedtoTWIviaRCAtoseeknewjoiningprocessesforthetextilesshehadbeencreating,whichweretoostifftobejoinedusingstandardknitweartechniquessuchaslinkingoroverlocking.ThefundingforPaine’sdoctoralresearchwasawardedonthebasisofaproposalthathadbeenwrittenbyTWI.ContributionsweresplitbetweenTWI’sinternalresearchfundandESPRC.PainewasselectedbyTWItocarryouttheresearchandworkedfromTWI’sheadofficesjustoutsideCambridgeforthefirsttwoyearsoftheinvestigation.ThebrieffortheresearchwasunlikeanyotherthatPainehadworkedtopreviouslycomingfromabackgroundintextiledesign.Therewasaheavyengineeringfocusfortheworkthatrequiredquantitativetestingmethodstobeusedandanemphasisonrepeatabilityforindustrialapplications.TherewasalsoarequirementforPainetoengagewithindustrialpartnersandseeka‘casestudy’fortheresearchthatwouldprovidecommercialvalidationforthedevelopmentoftechniques.Priortothisresearch,Painehadexperiencedevelopingknittedtextilecollections,whichwerepredominantlyaestheticallydriveninresponsetoaparticulartheme.Materialselections,colourpalette,processesandtexturesweredevelopedwithreferencetovisualresearch.ThePhDbrief,incontrast,wastechnologydriven,withaspecificinterestinthedevelopmentofultrasonicandtransmissionlaserweldingtechnologies(Paine2016).Movingfromthefieldofdesignintoresearchandworkingtounfamiliarengineering requirements,itwasnecessaryforPaine’sestablishedresearchapproachdevelopedthroughouthereducationandearlycareertoevolveandencompassnewmethods.



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MethodologyoverviewThemethodologyforthisresearchfolloweda‘multi-strategy’frameworkthatencompassedbothcraft-designandscientificapproaches.A‘craft-design’approachwascoinedbythethesisfortheproject.Thisapproachbridgesthedisciplinesofcraftanddesignandwasthefamiliarapproachoftheresearchercomingfromabackgroundintextiledesign.‘Handsonmethodsofmaterialinvestigationorganisedwithinasystematicreflectiveframeworkofinquirythatacknowledgestheimplicitknowledgeoftheresearchercharacterisethisapproach’(Paine2016,p.33).Knowledgesurroundingacraftorpractice-leddesignapproachisbecomingmoreestablishedwithagrowingnumberofpublishedworksintheacademicdesignfield(Kane2007,Philpott2011,Goldsworthy2012).Theapproachfollowsaconstructivistparadigmofinquirythatacknowledgesexistingknowledgeoftheinquirer(Gray,Malins2004).Methodsaretypicallyqualitativeinnaturerelyingonthecollectionofnon-numericaldata.Ascientificapproach,incontrast,adoptsapositivistparadigmofinquirythatsuspendsthepersonalknow-howoftheinvestigatorinthepursuitofabsoluteknowledge.Quantitativemethodsprovidemeasurableevidencebasedresults.Amorecontemporaryinterpretationofthescientificapproachadoptsapost-positivistparadigmthatacceptscompletesuspensionofpersonalinsightisrarelyachievable(Gray,Malins2004).Methodsrelatingtoeitheracraft-designorscientificapproachwereappliedpragmaticallyastheresearchprogressedinresponsetoitscurrentstatusortheproblemfaced.ThisapproachcanbealignedwithActionResearch,whichplacespracticeasthegeneratorofnewtheory(Crouch,Pearce2012).Researchprogressesthroughreflectiveanalysisonpracticethatinspiressubsequentstepsforinvestigation(McNiff,Whiteread2005).Amapofresearchmethodsappliedthroughouttheprojecttrajectoryhasprovidedenhancedinsight.



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Figure4.Mapofshowingresearchtrajectory:studies,sub-studiesandmethodsAuthor’sown2015



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Onreviewoftheprojectmapitispossibletoseehowtheresearchoscillatedbetweenacraft-designandscientificapproach;indicatedbyalternatingcoloursinthemethodscolumn.Purpleisusedtoindicatetheapplicationofacraft-designapproachandgreenindicatestheapplicationofascientificapproach.Acraft-designapproachwasappliedpredominantlyatthebeginningoftheresearchwhilstseekinghypothesesforfurtherinvestigationduringaperiodofresearchthathasretrospectivelybeencalled‘projectscoping’(Paine2016).Materialstudieswereundertakenandreflectedupontouncovernewopportunitiesforfurthermorestructuredinvestigation.DuringthisperiodindustryprofessionalsatSpeedoInternationalwereusedasasoundingboardforthecommercialvalidityoftechniquessuggestingpossibleapplicationopportunitiesandgapsforfurtherinvestigation.ResearchGap1touselaserpatterningasamethodofcontrollingtheelasticbehaviourofstretchyfabricsforacompressiveeffectonthebodywasidentifiedattheendoftheprojectscopingphaseasaresultofcumulativeinsights.Thisformedthemainhypothesisfortheinvestigation.AscientificapproachwasappliedoncehypotheseshadbeenestablishedtogainquantifiableevidenceandwasthepredominantapproachduringstudiessurfacemodificationIandII,whichinvestigatedmethodsofcontrollingtheeffectontheelasticbehaviourofthefabricandmeasuringthecompressiveeffectonthebody.Thissequenceofapproaches,withaqualitativephasefollowedbyaquantitativephase,hasbeencharacterisedasa‘SequentialExploratoryDesign’intheliteratureonmulti-strategyapproaches(Cresswell2009).Thequantitativephaseofresearchbuildsoninsightsgainedduringthepreliminaryqualitativephaseandtestsdevelopedhypothesesempirically.Progressionofmethodsinacross-disciplinaryresearchcontextSelectionofmethodsfollowingeitheracraft-designorscientificapproachwasmadeonreflectionoftheresearchasitprogressed.Mostscientificmethodswerecompletelynewtotheresearcherandhadtobelearntfromscratch.WorkingcloselywithexpertsatTWIandSpeedoInternationalitwaspossibletoworkalongsidetechnicalexpertsfortheintroductionofscientificmethodsandcumulativereflectionwithindustrypartnersallowednewinsightsfromtheworktobedrawn.Methodswhilstfollowingacraft-designapproachFamiliarcraft-designmethodswereappliedthroughoutthePhD,buttherewerechangesintheirapplicationnecessitatedbytheshiftintoacademicresearchandrespondingtoabriefthathadbeenwrittenbyengineerswithatechnology-drivenfocus.Thischaptersectionwillcompareexperienceusingspecificcraft-designmethods,definedbythePhDthesis,priortoandduringthePhDtodrawnewinsights. MarketreviewMarketreviewsor‘comp-shops’astheyareknownintheclothingindustryarecarriedoutbytextiledesignerstoassesscompetitiveproductsinthemarketplace.Thisactivitycanbecarriedoutonline,butofteninvolvesvisitingretailoutletsforacloserinspectionofproducts.MarketreviewswereusedbytheresearcherpriortothePhDtogaugemarkettrendsandassistinbuildinganoverallmoodoraestheticforfabriccollections.Thismethodwasalsousedtogainanunderstandingofsilhouette,finishingand



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constructiontechniquesforknittedgarments,whichcannotbeaccessedfromimagesofgarmentsonline.Itisnotunusualforgarmentstobetriedontogainamorethoroughunderstandingoffitandshapewhenworn. Thephysicalhandlingofgarmentsandclose-upinspectionenablesenhancedproductknowledgethatcanbeappliedtothedevelopmentofpracticalstudiowork. MarketreviewswereusedinasimilarwayduringthePhD:toassessexistingproductsinthemarketplaceconstructedusingadvancedjoiningmethodsandtoidentifygapsforfurtherinvestigation.Aninvestigationofmethodsforjoiningstretchysportsweargarmentsfollowedtheinsightthatstretchyfabricsbecomerigidoncewelded.Thisreviewsoughttoidentifyandunderstandcommercialprocessesusedtojoinstretchyfabricswithoutimpedingtheintrinsicstretchcharacteristicofthefabric.Insightsassistedinfurtherpracticaldevelopmentsworkingwithstretchyfabrics.Specifically,itwasunderstoodthatoverlockingandflatlockingstitchtypesusedtojoinstretchyfabricshavelongloopedthreadconfigurationsthatenabletheseamtostretchwiththefabric.Thisinformedthedevelopmentofaseriesofpatternedweldedseamdesignsthatretainstretchyportionsoffabricalongtheseamlengthandpreventseamlockout.

Figure5.ReviewofgarmentsilhouettesforfinalmajorMAprojectAuthor’sown2010

Figure6.StretchseaminvestigationforPhDAuthor’sown2012

ExperimentalsamplingExperimentalsamplingisamethodusedbyknittedtextiledesignerstodevelopinitialmaterialideasinresponsetoabodyofprimaryandsecondaryresearchandwasfrequentlyusedbyPainepriorto



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undertakingthePhD.Itisapreliminary‘playful’methodofmaterialinvestigationcarriedoutonceyarnsandknittingmachineryhavebeenselected.Visualcuesfromtheresearchrelatingtocolourandtextureinformthepreliminaryexperimentalmaterialsamplingoftheknittedtextiledesigner.Materialsamplesfromtheseinitialtrialsarereflectedupon,editedandrefinedduringsubsequentphasesofdesigndevelopment.Visualcuesformaterialdevelopmentrelatingtocolourandtexturewereabsentfromthetechnology-driveninitiativesofthePhDinvestigation.Experimentalsamplingwascarriedouttoseeknewopportunitiesforthetechnologiesandreliedonthetacitknowledgeoftheresearchercomingfromabackgroundintextiledesigntoidentifynovelandinterestingleadsforinvestigation.MaterialstudieswereinfluencedbytheliteratureontextilesjoiningandanincreasinglytechnicalapproachwastakencomparedwithexperimentalsamplingcarriedoutwhilstworkingasaknittedtextiledesignerpriortothePhD.Itwasnecessarytokeepallmaterialsamplesandrecordprocessingconditionssothatexperimentreportscouldbewritteninaclearandconcisewaythatwouldbecomprehensivetothecross-disciplinarypartnersinvolvedinthePhD.Throughdiligentrecordingofprocessparameters,itwaspossibletoidentifypatternsinmaterialbehaviourthatwouldnothavebeenotherwisepossible.Atfirst,thiscontrolledwayofworkingwasdifficulttoadjusttofortheresearcherwhosensedalossof‘creativeflow’intheworkandimpactonthenoveltyofmaterialoutcomes.Periodsoffreermaterialinvestigationwereprogrammedatoccasionalintervalsthroughouttheresearchtrajectorytoallowformorefluiddevelopmentofdesignideas.ExperimentalsamplingwasusedduringtheprojectscopingphaseofthePhDinvestigationwhilstseekinghypothesesforfurtherdevelopment.Apreliminarystudyusingultrasonicweldingequipmenttestedtheeffectofthetechnologywhenappliedtoaselectionoftextilebasefabrics.Avarietyofknitted,woven,syntheticandmixedfibrefabricswereinvestigated.Themechanicalandaestheticeffectofvariousdifferentlypatternedanvilwheelsonthesurfaceofthefabricwasassessedbyhandandeye.Theanvilisarotarywheelthatappliespressuretothefabricandpullsitforwardsthroughthemachinefromthefronttotheback;impartinganembossedpatternontothesurfaceofthefabricasitmoves.Anovelwavythree-dimensionaleffectonthesurfaceofstretchyfabricswasidentifiedanddevelopedthroughfreermaterialinvestigationtocreatealloversurfaceeffectswithanappearanceakintoseer-sucker.ItwasonthebasisofareviewoftheseinitialexperimentalsamplesthatSpeedoInternationalbecameapartnerfortheresearch.



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Figure7.ExperimentalsamplesandvisualresearchfromPaine’sfinalmajorMAproject

Author’sown2010

Figure8.PhDsketchbookofexperimentalsamplescreatedusingultrasonicwelding

equipmentAuthor’sown2010

StructuredmaterialinvestigationStructuredmaterialinvestigationtypicallyfollowsaperiodofexperimentalsamplingandaleadforfurtherinvestigationhasbeendeveloped.Materialsaretestedatprecise incrementalsettingstogainadetailedunderstanding of the effects of different process parameters. Prior to undertaking the PhD structuredmaterial investigationwasusedtodeveloptextileprocesses.For instance,knittingtensionswithspecificstitchstructuresandyarncombinationsweretrialledatincrementalsettingsandexaminedbyhandandeyeinordertoestablishoptimumhandleandappearance.Similarly,heatpresssettingsforcoatingofknittedsamplesweretestedincrementallyusingaprocessoftrialanderroruntilthedesiredhandleandaestheticeffectwasachieved.Workingasaknittedtextiledesigneronlyparametersettingsforsuccessfulsampleswererecorded.FortheengineeringstylereportsthatwereexpectedbythePhDbriefitwasnecessarytorecordparameter settings forallmaterial samples.Although thishabitwasdifficult toadjust toat first,samplespecificationsheetsbecameamethodofdocumentingpracticeandprovidedphysicalrecordstoreflectuponfordevelopmentoftheinvestigation.Followinganinsightthatstretchyfabricstakeonathree-dimensionalwavyseamaestheticafterwelding,astructuredinvestigationusingstateoftheartultrasonicweldingequipmentwithdigitallyprogrammablemachine settingswascarriedout.Thisenabledprocessparameterstoberecordedwithenhancedaccuracy.



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Figure9.DevelopmentofcoatedknittedsamplesforfinalmajorMAprojectAuthor’sown2010

Figure10.DigitaldisplayofrecordableparametersonPFAFFultrasonicwelding

equipmentAuthor’sown2013

Figure11.PFAFFultrasonicweldingequipmentAuthor’sown2013



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DiscussionwithindustryKnittedtextiledesignersworkinresponsetoadesignbrief.Commissioningpartnersusetheformatofthebrieftostipulatethethemeoftheworkandoutlinedeliverables.Contactwiththeindustrypartnerismadeatthebeginningofaprojectwhenthebriefisintroducedandattheendoftheprojectwhentheworkispresented.Contactcanalsobemadeatinterimmeetingstohelpsteerdesigndevelopmentandreviewprogression.Thesemeetingsaretypicallyproposedbytheindustrypartner.PainehadexperienceworkinginthiswayfornumerousfashioncompaniespriortoundertakingthePhD.DiscussionwithindustryinthecontextofthePhDworkrelatesspecificallytoSpeedoInternational.UnlikepreviousinteractionswithindustrypriortothePhD,SpeedoInternationalhadnotwrittenabriefforthework.Interactionswereinitiatedbytheresearcherandusedtocriticallyreflectonmaterialsamplesproducedtoidentifypossibleapplicationopportunities,thusensuringcommercialvalidity.AdiscussionwithSpeedoInternationalduringtheprojectscopingphaseoftheworkcanbeusedtoillustratehowtheresearchwasinfluencedbyindustry.PracticalresearchhadbeencarriedoutinresponsetotwoinitialhypothesesandpresentedtoSpeedoInternational.Duringcollectivecriticalassessmentofthesamplesanopportunitytousethelasertechnologytocontroltheelasticbehaviourofstretchfabricstohaveacompressiveeffectonthebodywasidentified.Thisfunctionalopportunityforall-oversurfaceeffectsinfluencedthenextphasesfortheresearchthatinvestigatedmethodsofcontrollingextensibilityofthefabric.



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Figure12.CriticalreflectiononmaterialsampleswithinnovationstaffatSpeedoInternationalAuthor’sown2014

PrototypedevelopmentPrototypedevelopmentisusedbyknittedtextiledesignerstodemonstratematerialsamplesasconceptsforfull-scalegarments.Somebriefsrequireacollectionofsamplesandvisualisationsdemonstratinggarmentideas,whereasothersrequirefull-scalemock-upofgarments.Shapingoffully-fashionedknittedgarmentsisintegraltotheknittingprocess,thusknittingoffabricandproductoftengohandinhand.Stitchesaretransferredeitherinwardsoroutwardsfromthecastonsectionalongthelengthofthefabrictobuildupashapethatfollowsaflatpatterndesign.Flatpatterndesignsarecreatedfromatoile.Atoileisatermusedintheclothingindustrytodescribethepreliminarymock-upofagarmentinaninexpensivesubstitutefabricsuchascalico.Jerseyisoftenusedforknitweartoilesasithasrequiredstretchcharacteristicstomimicthefinalfabricoftheknittedgarment.



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Figure13.ToilefromMAfinalmajorprojectAuthor’sown2011

Figure14.FullscalegarmentprototypefromMAfinalmajorprojectAuthor’sown2011

WhilststudyingforthePhDexpertiseoftechnicalstaffatSpeedoInternationalwascalledupontoassistwiththedevelopmentofprototypes.Theaimofprototypedevelopmentwastotestthecompressiveeffectoflaserpatterningonthebody.Twosuitswereproduced:onewiththelaserpatterningandonewithout.AnexistingSpeedofullbodysuitwasselectedthroughconsultationwithSpeedo,whichwouldprovidemaximumcoverageofthebodytotestthecompressiveeffectoflaserpatterningacrossmultipleareasofthebody.AreasofthebodytotargetforanoptimisedstreamlinedsilhouettewereselectedthroughreviewofSpeedo’spastracingsuitdesigns.SuitpanelswerecutandconstructedbytechnicalstaffatSpeedoInternational.LaserpatterningwasappliedtoflatpanelsbyPaineatTWI.Bothsuitsweretestedacross5keyareasofthebodyusingapressuremeasurementsystemand3Dbodyscanningtechnology.AccesstotestingfacilitieswasprovidedbySpeedoInternational.Throughthiscollaborativeinvestigation,itwaspossibletocomparetheresultsbetweenthelaserpatternedandplainswimsuitandprovethecompressiveeffectofthefabriconthebody.



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Figure15.PreparationofflatpanelsforlasertreatmentatTWIAuthor’sown2015

Figure16.DevelopmentoflasertreatedprototypeswimsuitatSpeedoInternational

Author’sown2015

MethodswhilstfollowingascientificapproachScientificmethodswereprimarilyusedbythePhDtofulfilthetechnology-drivenrequirementsofthebrief.ItwasonlythroughpersistentexplorationofscientificmethodsatthebeginningofthePhDthatanunderstandingoftheabilitytoprovechangingmaterialbehavioursempiricallywasunderstood.Specifically,achangetothemechanicalbehaviourofstretchyfabricswasfeltbythehandoncewelded:itwasonlythroughquantitativetestingthatacontrolledeffectonextensibilitycouldbeobjectivelyproven.ThischaptersectionwillreflectonexperienceworkingwithspecificscientificmethodsthroughthePhDtohighlightlearningandinsightsgained.MicroscopicanalysisComingfromabackgroundinknittedtextiledesignPainehadnopriorexperienceusingmicroscopestoanalysefabricsamples.Understandingofmaterialbehaviourforknittedtextiledesignersisacquiredthroughtheprocessofmakingandexperienceofhandlingdifferentfabrictypes.Technicalblocksoflearningcoveringhand,domesticandindustrialknittingmachinerytechniqueswereincludedduringPaine’sBAandMAeducation.Knowledgerelatingtothevaryinghandleandvisualqualitiesoffabricsproducedusingdifferentstitch,yarn,andmachinerytypeshadevolvedthroughexperience.Thistacitknowledgeheldbythetextiledesignerisappliedtocreatefabricsinresponsetoadesignthemeortrend.VisualanalysisoffabricshadonlybeenexploredonamacroscalepriortoundertakingthePhD.



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Microscopicanalysisisanestablishedmethodusedbyengineersandscientiststoinvestigatematerialsatamicrolevel.AspartoftheTWIbriefitwasexpectedthattraditionalscientificmethodssuchasmicroscopicanalysiswouldbeusedwithinthescopeofthePhD.WorkingatTWIforthefirsttwoyearsoftheinvestigationtherewasopenaccesstotheopticallabwithalargerangeofmicroscopesthatcouldbeusedwithtechnicalassistance.PaineworkedwithatechnicalassistantusingscanningmicroscopyequipmentandastereographtoexploreherweldedtextilesamplesthroughoutthePhDtrajectory.ThroughthismicroscopicanalysisoffabricsamplesPainewasabletoassessqualitiesfeltbythehandatafibrelevelandprovehypothesesempirically.Specifically,Painewasabletoprovethatmechanicallockingofstretchfabricsafterweldingwasduetomeltingofthermoplasticfibresthatdestroyedtheknittedfabricstructureintheweldregion.

Figure17.WorkingwithstereographmicroscopeandtechnicalassistantatTWI

Author’sown2014

Figure18.SEMimageofultrasonicweldedknittedtextilesample

Author’sown2012

MechanicaltestingMechanicaltestingisamethodusedbyengineerstotestthepropertiesofmaterialsinresponsetocontrolledforce.PainehadnoexperienceofmechanicaltestingpriortoundertakingthePhDproject.Technicaltestingoftextilematerialsisnotatypicalrequirementfortextiledesigners.Thetechnicalstandardisationandtestingoffabricsoccursduringthelatterstagesoftextiledevelopmenttowardsproductlaunch.Respondingtoabriefthathadbeenwrittenbyengineerstherewasanexpectationthatmechanicaltestingoffabricswouldbeusedtoquantifythestrengthofweldedtextilejoints.AnunderstandingofthisprocesswasgainedthroughreadingtechnicalliteratureontextilesjoiningandobservingengineersatTWI.SpecialistequipmentusedfortestingfabricswasmadeavailabletotheresearcherbySpeedoInternational.Atechnicalassistantprovidedanintroductiontotheequipmentandassistedwithpreliminarymaterialtests. Therewas some reluctance from the researcher at first to deviate from familiar craft-designmethods.However,byapplyingthisunknownmethodshewasabletoprovescientificallythemainhypothesisthat



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lasermeltingcouldbeusedtocontrolpreciselytheelasticbehaviourofstretchmaterials.Fabricsamplesweretreatedwiththelaseratincrementalspeedandpowersettingsthatinfluencedtheamountofmeltingthroughthedepthofthematerial.Thiswasevidentfromthechangeinintensityofthelasermarkedlineonthesurfaceofthefabric.Theeffectofmeltpatterndensityonthesurfaceofthefabricwasalsoinvestigatedatincrementallevels.Asimplestripedesignwasusedwithvaryingdistanceinbetweenmeltlines.Thefabricbecame increasinglystiff tohandleasmaterialmelting increased.Mechanical testingprovidedempiricalevidenceinsupportofthiseffectanddemonstratedthattheextensibilityofthefabriccouldbecontrolledpreciselyusingpre-programmedparametersettings.

Figure19.Mechanicaltestingoflasertreatedfabricsample:samplerelaxedwithouttension

Author’sown2014

Figure20.Mechanicaltestingoflasertreatedfabricsample:sampleundertension

Author’sown2014

3Dbodyscanning3DbodyscanningwasamethodusedtowardstheendofthePhDresearchtotestthecompressiveeffectoflasertreatedfabricsonthebody.Alaser-treatedprototypesuitwasworninsidea3Dbodyscannerandmeasurementsweretakenacross5keyareasofthebody.Theseresultswerecomparedwiththesamepersonwearingaswimsuitwithoutlaserpatterning.Anyreductioninbodymeasurementscouldbeattributedsolelytothelasersurfacetreatmentofthefabric.SpeedoInternationalmadethebodyscanneravailabletotheresearch.



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Figure21.On-screenimagecreatedusing3DbodyscanningequipmentatSpeedoInternational

Author’sown2015

Figure22.Paineinside3DbodyscanningboothatSpeedoInternational

Author’sown2015

PressuretestingPressuretestingwasanalternativemethodusedtotestthecompressiveeffectoflasertreatedfabricsonthebody.Pressuremeasurementsweretakenbetweenthefabricandskinusingahand-helddevice.Resultswerecomparedbetweenapatternedandnon-patternedswimsuitacross5differentareasofthebody.TheequipmentforthistestwasmadeavailablebySpeedoInternational.Conclusions/InsightsThispaperhasdiscussedtheevolutionofmethodsadoptedbyHelenPaineduringherPhDresearchprojectmovingfromabackground inknittedtextiledesignfor fashion intoanenvironmentofcross-disciplinaryacademicresearchworkingwithscientists,engineersandindustrytowardsthedevelopmentofemergingtextilejoiningtechnologies.Craft-designmethodsthatwerealreadyfamiliartotheresearcherhaveevolvedinrespectofthetechnologicalrequirementsofthebriefandnewscientificmethodshavebeenintroduced.ThroughacomparativeanalysisofmethodsbeforeandduringthetrajectoryofthePhDithasbeenpossibletoidentifythefollowingkeyinsights: • Thecraft-designerneedstobeflexibleinadjustingestablishedapproachestobridgegapsandbuild

trustacrossdisciplines:PainefoundbyadoptingascientificapproachshewasabletocommunicateherideasatTWIinanengineeringenvironment.

• Apragmaticapproachthatusesbothscientificandcraft-designmethodsisneededsothatinvestigationrespondstoresearchfindingsastheyprogress:Paineappliedeitheracraft-designorscientificapproachonreflectionoftheresearchfindingsprogressivelythroughouttheinvestigation.



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• Theserendipityofahands-oncraft-designapproachlendsitselftothebeginningofaninvestigation

whenhypothesesarebeingsought:PaineadoptedthisapproachatthebeginningofherPhDworkingwithultrasonicweldingequipmenttouncovernewopportunitiesforthetechnology.

• Ascientificapproachcanbeusedtotesthypothesesdevelopedthroughexperimentalsamplingandprovidequantitativeevidenceforeffectsfirstfeltbythehand:Understandingofchangestothemechanicalbehaviourofmaterialswasgainedfirstbythehandandthentestedempiricallyusingmechanicaltestingequipment.

• Adiligentapproachtorecordingreflectionsandexperimentalsettingsisrequiredwhilstapplyingacraft-designapproachsothatinsightscanbeprogressedthroughsubsequentstructuredinvestigation:Pre-preparedspecsheetsallowedPainetorecordreflections‘inaction’andprovidedphysicalrecordsofpracticetoreflectonretrospectively.

• Workingwithcross-disciplinarypartnerscanenableaccesstotestingfacilitiesandinsightsthatwillexpandthereachoftheworkbeyondthecraft-designfield:Painewasabletoaccessindustry-specificinsightsandtestingmethodsworkingwithSpeedoInternationalandTWIthatallowedhertovalidatefunctionalopportunitiesfirstgaugedthroughexperimentalmaterialinvestigation.

• Hypothesesthatarebuiltfromcross-disciplinarycumulativeinsightsassistinengagingallpartiesinacollaboration:PainespenttheearlystagesofherPhDscopingopportunitiesforinvestigation;testingideasthroughmaterialsamplingandgaininginsightsfromindustry.

• Physicalrepresentationsofideasdevelopedthroughmaterialsamplingandprototypingactivitiescanbeanattractionforindustrypartnersseekingnewproductopportunities:preliminarymaterialsamplesdevelopedusingultrasonicweldingequipmentwereshowntoSpeedoataninitialmeetingwithTWI.

SincecompletingherPhDPainehasworkedforSpeedoInternationalasanInnovationDesignConsultant.Collaboratingwith technicalexpertsatSpeedo’s inhouseR&Dfacilityshehascontinuedtoapplycross-disciplinary research methods using both scientific and craft-design approaches to develop innovativematerialsolutions.

AcknowledgementsTheauthorswouldliketoextendthankstoSpeedoInternationalandTWIfortheirgeneroussupportofthework.ThisresearchhasbeenfundedbyTWI.

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DrHelenPaineDrHelenPaineisaResearchAssistantattheCentreforCircularDesignUniversityoftheArtsLondonandSeniorLectureratNorwichUniversityofArtsacrossMAcourses.Shehasexperienceworkingasan



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innovationdesignconsultantwithsportswearandautomotivepartners.Herresearchinterestslieincraftinnovationandmultidisciplinarycollaborativepractice.h.paine@chelsea.arts.ac.uk DrKateGoldsworthyDrKateGoldsworthyisCo-DirectoroftheCentreforCircularDesignatUniversityoftheArtsLondon.Sheisadesignerandacademicworkingtobridgescience,industryanddesignthroughmultidisciplinary&practice-ledresearchtowardsacirculareconomy.SheisamemberoftheEPSRCForuminManufacturingResearch,andisThemeLeaderintheMistraFutureFashionProgramme.k.goldsworthy@chelsea.arts.ac.ukPrSharonBaurleyProfessorSharonBaurleyisHeadofIndustrialDesignatZürcherHochschulederKünste/ZürichUniversityoftheArts(ZHdK).SheisalsovisitingResearchProfessoronDesignProductsprogrammeatRCAandisafellowoftheHigherEducationAcademy.Sharon.baurley@rca.ac.uk

Evolutionary approach of a textile designer through cross ... · PhD was sponsored by TWI: an engineering institution that specialise in materials joining and partnered ... Council

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