The mechanical behaviour of single-tricot warp-knitted fabrics Part I: An experimental investigation of knitted fabrics of varying loop geometry under tensile stress with special attention given to inter-yam friction

Single-tricot warp-knitted structures made from polyester-fibre (PET-fibre) yarns are analysed for their geometrical properties and their uniaxial ten sile behaviour. A detailed study is devoted to the inter-yam friction in th ese structures, since yarn slippage is one of the effects dominating large- scale deformations of the fabrics. Both static (initiation of slippage) and sliding (ongoing slippage) friction were investigated. The results of the investigations serve as a basis for finite-element modelling (FEM), which w ill be treated in another paper.