Optimization of Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Knitted Barrier Meshes

Abstract

Abstract This article focuses on the analysis of mechanical properties of knitted barrier meshes and refers to general problems related to safety engineering. The conducted analysis of the effectiveness of absorbing impact energy by textile barriers, which positively affect the human body, clearly indicates the possibility of applying them in the field of road engineering as a new generation of road barriers. The characteristic features of the new generation of barriers are their openwork multiaxial structure based on various geometric shapes of the a-jour structure. Twenty models of barrier meshes with a-jour structure in the shape of tetragons (squares and diamonds), triangles, regular polygons (hexagons, octagons, and dodecagons), and circles were designed. Simulation research that aimed to optimize the structure of knitted openwork meshes to obtain minimum reduced stresses in strings, knots, and arms of the mesh was performed. The preferred solution is the four-axial eight-thread mesh with square-shaped a-jour structure with stress equal to Δб = 0.43 GPa/kg and the mesh with thickened diamond-shaped a-jour geometry with stress equal to Δб = 0.53 GPa/kg. Low stress values were also recorded for a four-axial six-thread mesh with square a-jour structure, for which Δб = 0.66 GPa/kg. The analyzed mesh models were implemented in the form of dozen designs of stitch constructions based on warp-knitting technology.