Innovative Design and Fabrication of Uni-Stretch Auxetic Woven Fabrics

Abstract

Auxetic fabrics (AFs) are a particular kind of material that displays a special mechanical property called negative Poisson's ratio (NPR). Accordingly, unlike other materials, which get thinner when stretched, they thicken perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress. Due to this quality, AFs are widely sought-after for a variety of applications. The aim of this research is to create an innovative design and fabrication of uni-stretch auxetic woven fabrics (USAWFs) to increase their production and acquire remarkable fabric qualities that enable them to be used in a variety of applications. This is achieved using a backed weave structure and the incorporation of both elastic and non-elastic yarns (EYs and NEYs) in the weft direction, along with the use of tight and loose weaves (TWs and LWs) to create differential shrinkage and obtain AFs. NPR was evaluated through tensile testing of the produced samples. A high-resolution camera mounted on a tripod in front of the sample was used to capture the tensile process and quantify the NPR. This made it possible to measure dimensions changes in both the tensile and transversal directions with excellent accuracy. Two samples of woven textiles were created for this study. The findings of the Poisson's ratio (PR) comparison of the samples showed that the auxetic effect had been effectively accomplished in the second sample without the use of any geometrical patterns.