Mechanical Properties of Fabric Woven from Yarns Produced by Different Spinning Technologies: Yarn Failure in Woven Fabric

Abstract

A study has been conducted on the mechanisms of in-situ tensile failure of staple yams during uniaxial tensioning, as in a conventional ravel strip test. The yarns were PET/cotton blends processed on ring, rotor, and airjet spinning systems, and then woven into plain or twill weave fabrics. Load-extension behaviors of the yarns were recorded for the in-fabric state as well as for the free state (out-of-fabric), and SEM comparisons were made of the fractured yam ends obtained in the two states. When the tensioned yarns became jammed between cross yarns before straightening, the fracture ends were abrupt, similar to those observed in near zero gauge length tests of free-state yarns. However, when fabric structure was such that tensioned yams could straighten without cross yam jamming, the resulting failure zones were considerably longer, with a mixture of fiber fracture and slippage similar to that observed in long gauge length tests of free-state yams. The interaction between yarn properties and weave geometry had a strong influence on the local disturbance of cloth structure resulting from isolated yam failure during fabric tensioning. The extent of such dis turbance permitted estimates of the stress recovery length of the failed yam and showed its dependence on cloth tightness and yarn type.