Linen Lace Concrete - Back to Source to commercialise lab based findings from 'Woven Concrete'

Trish Belford（PI）和纺织设计师兼建筑师Ruth Morrow教授（Co I）已经合作了9年，将纺织品和混凝土技术结合在一起，创新地将这两种不同的材料混合在一起，以产生高度创新的表面。这个后续资助项目旨在商业化未解决的发现，在原来的AHRC的做法导致赠款'编织混凝土'（AH/E006248/1），该实验室为基础的项目，旨在创造创新的混凝土纺织品表面。通过与苏格兰MYB纺织品公司的合作，将亚麻布作为最适合承受混凝土苛刻碱性的基布的原始发现得出结论。我们将开发一系列的编织亚麻花边混凝土表面使用的知识收集在干预年，以产生大规模的面板。在最初的资助的启发下，Belford和Morrow继续他们的合作，最终开发出专利产品。这些发展是对最初赠款的思考和学习的延伸，但它们是通过不同的方式进行的，最终证明是耗时和昂贵的。这些新的生产方法与MYB将导致商业上可行的和更可持续的方法制造亚麻花边。Belford和Morrow在其间的几年里，通过推广现有的昂贵技术，产生了许多世界范围的联系，也找到了时间来介绍和撰写这一过程，反映了将两种不同的文化-混凝土和纺织品纳入一个过程的文化意义和张力。市场反馈表明，规模和一个阶段的过程，使这一产品在一个更强大的地位。由于现有技术的限制，这是无法实现的。因此，本项目申请的目的是：a）再次回到早期赠款的原始发现，并利用其间几年的知识和经验，通过使用大规模的纺织品制造技术，制造商业上可行的花边纺织品，用于注入混凝土，从而开辟新的商业机会。MYB目前用棉纱编织花边，亚麻的多样化将是对最近客户对亚麻的兴趣的回应。B）以一种富有想象力的方式呈现这种合作的故事，让公众、传统和创新纺织品的专业利益集团以及具体行业参与进来。基于实验室的研究'编织混凝土'确定亚麻适合承受混凝土的碱性条件，在原来的授权纺织图案是由后devore创建然而，这是费力的、昂贵的且不可控的，因此，为了尝试将嵌入式纺织工艺商业化，研究人员后来通过激光切割在预先编织的进口纺织品上创建了花边结构。这是目前正在进行商业化的三项专利工艺之一。然而，这是昂贵的，能源效率低下和耗时的，我们现在已经确定需要找到一种替代方法来制造花边亚麻布。一项由阿尔斯特大学研究资助的可行性研究证实，MYB是最适合合作的公司，他们拥有技术和前瞻性思维，但还没有编织亚麻花边。MYB是一家拥有115年历史的纺织公司，总部位于苏格兰，是英国唯一的编织花边工业生产商。他们目前只用棉花编织花边效果，但愿意合作，改变织机设置和纱线，以参与这个项目。他们认为这是对现有投资组合的宝贵补充。最后的作品（大型展板）将在苏格兰和北方爱尔兰展出，吸引来自纺织品和建筑的观众

Trish Belford (PI) and Professor Ruth Morrow (Co I) a textile designer and architect have been working together for 9 years, bringing together the technologies of textiles and concrete, innovatively blending these two diverse materials to produce highly innovative surfaces. This follow on funded project aims to commercialise unresolved findings in the original AHRC practice led grant 'Woven Concrete' (AH/E006248/1) That lab based project aimed to create innovative concrete textile surfaces. The original findings of using linen as the most suitable base fabric to withstand the harsh alkaline properties of concrete will be brought to a conclusion with this collaboration with MYB textiles, Scotland. We will develop a range of woven linen lace concrete surfaces using knowledge gathered over the intervening years to generate large scale panels. Inspired by the initial grant Belford and Morrow continued their collaboration eventually developing patented products. Those developments were an extension of the thinking and learning from the original grant however they were carried out by different means, which ultimately proved to be time consuming and expensive to produce. These new methods of production with MYB will result in commercially viable and more sustainable methods of manufacturing a linen lace. Belford and Morrow in the intervening years have generated many world wide contacts, through promotion of the existing expensive technologies, also finding time to present and write about the process, reflecting on the cultural significance and tension of bringing two diverse cultures - concrete and textiles into one process. Marketing feedback has indicated that scale and a one stage process for making would place this product in a much stronger position. This has been unachievable due to limitations on current technology available.This project application is therefore intended to: a) Return again to the original findings of the earlier grant and with the knowledge and experience developed in the intervening years by using large scale textile manufacturing techniques to make commercially viable lace textiles for infusing with concrete, hence opening up new commercial opportunities . MYB currently weave lace with cotton yarns and a diversification to linen will be a response to recent client interest in linen. b) Present the story of this collaboration in an imaginative way that engages the general public; specialist interest groups in traditional and innovative textiles; and the concrete industry. The lab based research of 'woven concrete' identified linen as suitable to withstand the alkaline conditions of concrete, in the original grant the textile pattern was created by a post devore (burn out) print process to create lace-like textiles, this however was laborious, costly and uncontrollable, so in order to try and commercialise the embedded textile processes the researchers later created the lace structures by laser cutting on pre woven imported textiles. This is currently one of the three patented processes that went forward for commercialisation. However this is costly, energy inefficient and time consuming and we have now identified a need to find an alternative method for creating lace linen. A feasibility study funded by Ulster University research confirmed MYB as the most suitable Company to collaborate with, they have the technology and a forward thinking outlook, but are not yet weaving in linen lace. MYB, is a 115 year old textile company based in Scotland and the only remaining UK industrial producer of woven lace. They currently only weave lace effects with cotton but are willing to collaborate and alter loom settings and yarn in order to take part in this project. They view this as a valuable addition to their existing portfolio. The final pieces of work (large panels) will be exhibited in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, attracting audiences from both Textiles and Architecture