Effect of friction and tensile behaviour of the constituent yarns of three-layer fabrics, and cloth fit on the spike penetration

Abstract

The aim of using protective clothing against penetration of sharp objects such as spikes is to absorb and dissipate the kinematic energy of the object to prevent body injury. In this study, the role of friction coefficient and tensile behaviour of the constituent yarns of three-layer woven fabrics prepared with various weft-wadded yarns including wool, jute, nylon and polypropylene on its resistance against penetration of three spikes with various geometrical characteristics were examined, in both states of cloth fit including tight and loose conditions. The obtained outcomes reveal that increment of the tensile modulus of the weft-wadded yarns leads to the reduction of the penetration depth. Moreover, utilizing yarns with higher friction coefficient such as wool decrease the penetration depth due to the yarn’s resistance against movement during penetration. For all prepared samples, the geometry of the spikes especially tip angle is a parameter that can affect the penetration process and fabric damage. In addition, the results of penetration test of samples demonstrate that the penetration energy of tight state is higher than loose state and in turn the severity of fabric damage in the tight samples is more than loose samples.