Woven Spacer Fabrics and Hollow Structures
topic
Woven spacer fabrics maintain two parallel fabric surfaces connected by perpendicular pile warp threads that define the space between faces, with spacer fabric construction controlled by loom programming that prevents the face fabrics from approaching each other while maintaining the connecting pile tension, producing the rigid hollow structure used in sandwich composites, inflatable structures, and architectural fabric where the defined cavity between faces provides specific structural or functional properties.
Role
Creates three-dimensional fabric structures with defined internal cavities through the weave programme that controls face separation and connector thread geometry, enabling production of inflatable structures for aerospace, building envelope applications, and medical devices where the woven hollow structure provides the controlled cavity geometry and pressure-bearing capability that other manufacturing methods cannot achieve at equivalent weight and flexibility.