Structural investigations with illuminated AFFOA advanced functional fibers.
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) fibers integrated into knits. These fibers are drawn as optical fibers with embedded semiconductor diodes.
Each sample tests the limitations of new iterations of LED fibers. In their current form of ~400 micron monofilaments, care and unique tensioning is required.
Failure mechanisms of the fibers found by knitting with the LEDs powered by a battery. Most notable failures involve bending radius of fibers, tensile strength, and fiber buckling due to cross section geometry.
Samples are created using a Shima Seiki SWG machine. Results are used to guide fiber development teams in iterating designs.