Deformation behavior of auxetic laminated fabrics with rotating square geometry

Abstract

Auxetic fabrics are becoming a tempting option for many modern textile products due to their unusual deformation behavior under tensile load. In spite of the developments that have been made, it remains difficult to produce auxetic fabrics more efficiently using existing technologies. In this research, a novel type of auxetic fabrics is proposed based on rotating square geometry and manufactured using commercially available raw materials and lamination technique. Rotating square structures with different parameters are firstly produced through laser cutting a frame fabric, and then bonded to a base fabric using a hot-melt adhesive membrane. Tensile tests are conducted on various two-layer and three-layer laminated fabrics to investigate their deformation behaviors and auxetic effects. Results show that the auxetic behavior of the laminated fabrics mainly depends on initial modulus difference between the base material and the laminated frame material and can be affected by the initial intersection angle and size of square units. It is also found that three-layer laminated fabrics are more desirable than two-layer laminated fabrics when it comes to avoiding out-of-plane deformation and extending tensile strain range of auxeticity.