Sean Ahlquist featured in MCubed project video

Sean Ahlquist featured in MCubed project video

Sean Ahlquist, Assistant Professor of Architecture, was featured in a “Mechanical Properties and Computational Methods for Composites Formed of Pre-stressed Knitted Textiles.” Co-collaborators in the project include Anthony Wass and Georg Essl of the College of Engineering. Assistant Professor of Architecture Wes McGee, also shown in the video, is collaborating on the project thanks to funding support from the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning’s Research Through Making Grant.

The MCubed project abstract reads as follows:
The potential of knitted textiles for use in structural composites and other applications offers automation with advanced CNC machinery and highly articulated degrees of customization in fiber directionality and densities. CNC knitting machines allow for variability across the type of fibers utilized and knit structure, producing great degrees of differentiated stiffness in the overall textile. The gross topology of the textile is highly variable as well, where complex 3d structures can be generated. This research proposes the utilization of differentiated knitted textiles for reinforcements in structural composites, for such uses as tailored materials for aerospace, architecture and the automobile industry, examining manufacturing methods, testing their mechanical properties, and developing computational methods for simulating their performance. Visit the MCubed website to learn more about the initiative and the project.

Video created by Evan Dougherty, College of Engineering