**PLACE**: Onl'Fait, Geneva\\ **DATE**: 5, 12/1/2018\\ **PEOPLE**: Cristina, Giorgia

STEP 1

I used Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires to make a sample of tissue showing smocking point. Smocking is an old textile technique that gathers fabric in certain pattern to create 3D decorative pattern on textiles. **MATERIAL ** * SMA wire type 1 * Diameter: 0.15 mm * Recommended current: 0.41 A * Resistance: 55 ohms/m * Activation temperature: 70 degree Celsius * SMA wire type 2 * Diameter: 0.30 mm * Recommended current: 1.5 A * Resistance: 12 ohms/m * Activation temperature: 100 degree Celsius * conductive thread * wires and wirestripper * cotton fabric * crocodiles wires * 3 x 4,5 V batteries * bench power supply **CREDITS** [[http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=6687|Kobakant]]

STEP 2

**TEST 1 AND ISSUES** I prepared the muscle wires type 1 by heating them with a lighter and crimped the extremities with small metal beads to facilitate the connections. I used conductive thread to connect the 4 muscle wires to create a smocking pattern. I then connected the extremities of the circuit to 1, 2 and then 3 x 4,5 V batteries. The circuit didn't behave as expected and only 1 wire at the time was going back to its original shape (a coil shape). {{:fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180112_125732.jpg?nolink&400x389 |img_20180112_125732.jpg}}{{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180105_152641.jpg?nolink&400x393 |img_20180105_152641.jpg}}{{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180105_164402.jpg?nolink&300x458 |img_20180105_164402.jpg}} {{ youtube>lwapq9pPZw4?medium }} **EXPLANATIONS** * The conductive thread introduced a too high resistance and the circuit wasn't closed * It was extremely difficult to calibrate current and voltage with batteries (even though I made calculations based on the wires characteristics): only 1 battery was not enough but 3 made the fabric burn * The connections between the wires and the threads were not perfect

STEP 3

**TEST 2 AND ISSUES** I replaced conductive thread with stripped wires, SMA wire type 1 with 2 and I used a bench power supply to regulate current and voltage. I also soldered the connections between the muscle wires and the stripped wires. I regulated the current but again the circuit behaved like it was open and I was not able to control the 4 wires. I then connected only 1 muscle wire stitched to a piece of fabric and find the optimal conditions: 3,6 V and 1,5 A. {{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180112_134153.jpg?nolink&400x323 |img_20180112_134153.jpg}} {{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180112_145116.jpg?nolink&400x114 |img_20180112_145116.jpg}} {{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180112_150334.jpg?nolink&400x166 |img_20180112_150334.jpg}}{{ :fabricademy2017:students:cristina.olivotto:img_20180112_150330.jpg?nolink&400x300 |img_20180112_150330.jpg}} **EXPLANATIONS** * The connections between the wires and the threads were not good

STEP 4

**NOTES** The next time I will use smaller pieces of muscle wire to produce a nice effect on the fabric; I will test each wire before connecting them and check carefully the connections between the muscle and stripped wires. I will also try to use copper wires as suggested by Wemakeit.