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Measurement and Analysis of Drapeability Effects of Warp-Knit NCF with a Standardised, Automated Testing Device

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Abstract

Characterising the drapeability of reinforcement fabrics, is one of the most sought after abilities of those designing composite processes and components. This is not surprising as composite processes are being considered in a greater range of fields and applications. Drapeability effects are formed by the irregular rearrangement of fibres. This displacement can occur within the textile plane and result in fibre disorientations, undulations and gaps or the fibres can be pushed into the third dimension - forming wrinkles or loops. To measure such effects in non-crimp fabrics, the Textechno Drapetest automatic drapeability tester was developed. To show its viability as a tool for composite engineering, a set of fabrics was chosen to show that the influence of textile design parameters on drapeability effects is now quantifiable. The Textechno Drapetest uses a sophisticated digital image analysis system to measure the position and direction of fibres and conclude from this information on the extent and intensity of drapeability effects in the textile surface. To measure effects outside the surface, i.e. wrinkles, a laser triangulation sensor is employed. The textiles were varied in the production parameters of stitch point distance in machine direction (MD) and cross direction (CD), the weight per area, and the stitch pattern (tricot and chain). The measurements showed that the new test method is capable of measuring the effects that were expected from classical test setups as well as a range of additional effects. From the results a significant influence of the stitch yarn on the formation of effects can be deduced. Especially the density of stitch points is a parameter that lets the textile producer control the behaviour of the textile when they are formed into a doubly curved three dimensional shape. To control the gap formation, however, the spacing of the stitch points in machine or in crosswise direction is also of importance with a shorter stitch length decreasing the forming of gaps more than a tighter stitch yarn pitch.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. (FIBRE), Am Biologischen Garten 2, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Mirko Christ & Andrea Miene

  2. Textechno H. Stein GmbH & Co. KG, Dohrweg 65, 41066, Moenchengladbach, Germany

    Ulrich Mörschel

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  1. Mirko Christ
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  2. Andrea Miene
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  3. Ulrich Mörschel
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Correspondence to Mirko Christ.

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Christ, M., Miene, A. & Mörschel, U. Measurement and Analysis of Drapeability Effects of Warp-Knit NCF with a Standardised, Automated Testing Device. Appl Compos Mater 24, 803–820 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-016-9555-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-016-9555-7

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