Compressive deformation and load of a spacer filament in a warp-knitted spacer fabric

Abstract

The compressive deformation and load of a spacer filament in a warp-knitted spacer fabric was analyzed theoretically in this work. It was found that the compression process of the spacer filament can be divided into four stages, including a Stiff Stage, an Elastic Stage, a Restful Stage, and an Ineffective Stage. Based on the theoretical analysis of the compressive displacement and the radius of the spacer filament at different stages, as well as the bending moment of the spacer filament during compression, the relationship between the critical compressive load at different stages and the structural parameters of the spacer filament in a warp-knitted spacer fabric was found. Furthermore, plane plate compression experiments for spacer filaments were designed and tested to verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis.