Investigation of the Elastic Properties of Weft-Knitted Metal-Reinforced Narrow Composites

Weft-knitted structures are very suitable for draping of different 3D forms because of their flexibility and the possibility to change the sizes of the different loops redistributing the yarn lengths at the different loops. The FEM analysis of such 3D forms requires the knowledge of the elastic behaviour and particularly the elasticity modulus and Poisson’s numbers of the single cell at the different regions of the structure after the deformation. This work presents a method for numerical prediction of these values and experimental validations. The numerical prediction is based on several steps. First, the 3D geometry of the loop is generated based on a geometrical model for the loops. This geometry is then used, together with the properties of the yarns (wires) and the matrix for homogenisation calculations. The geometrical model is implemented into C++ Software tool within the TexMind suite, which exports it into WiseTex-XML format. This is then used within the TexComp software for homogenisation, where the method of inclusions is used to then compare the results with the experimental ones.