Modeling the shear behavior of spunbond nonwoven fabrics using the finite element method

Abstract

Nonwovens are among the most commonly used textiles in various industries. Therefore, the study of their behavior under different stresses has always been of interest to researchers. In this paper, four nonwoven fabrics with weights of 30, 70, 90 and 160 g/m2 were selected. First, each fabric was subjected to a tensile load in different directions. Subsequently based on the results obtained, the parameters related to the elastic and plastic properties, as well as the progressive damage in each direction, were determined. Next, a model was created to simulate the shear stress on fabrics using Finite Element Method (FEM). On the other hand, it was assumed that the fabrics cab be made up of one, two or three-layer structures, with each layer being defined by the tensile behavior of the fabric in a specific direction. The comparison between the experimental results and the FEM output revealed that the single-layer models have relatively low accuracy regardless of the fabric weight. For fabrics weighing less than 80 g/m2, the three-layer structure can achieve the relative error of 7% and lower by combining the tensile properties in the longitudinal and diagonal directions. Moreover, even for the fabrics that are heavier, the three-layer structure can be used by combining the tensile properties in the longitudinal, transverse and diagonal directions. But in this case, it leads to the relative error of 13% and lower.