Textiles: from twisted yarn to topology and mechanics

Abstract

While textiles have existed throughout much of human history as complex mechanical metamaterials, textile science has largely been overlooked by the physics community until recently. In this review, we consider the symmetry, topology, and mechanics of woven and knitted materials, showing that they represent a unique, if under-explored, corner of condensed matter. We start with the basic construction and elementary mechanical model of spun yarn, reviewing recent developments twisted bundle structures. We then introduce woven and knitted fabrics as materials with layer symmetries that can be topologically characterized as knots and links in the thickened torus. We finally discuss fabric mechanics and geometry, invoking recent results surrounding yarn-level and stitch-level geometry, deformations, and defect structures.