Study of three-dimensional spacer fabrics:: Physical and mechanical properties

doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.12.073

Journal of Materials Processing Technology

Volume 206, Issues 1–3, 12 September 2008, Pages 359-364

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.12.073 Get rights and content

Abstract

Spacer is a three-dimensional knitted fabric consisting of two outer textile substrates which are joined together and kept apart by spacer yarns. Spacer fabrics are used for environmental reasons, which can be used in different product groups such as mobile textiles (car seat covers, dashboard cover), industrial textiles (composites), medical textiles (anti-decubitus blankets), sports textiles and foundation garments (bra cups, pads for swimwear). In this study, the characteristics of different spacer fabrics including low-stress mechanical properties, air permeability and thermal conductivity were investigated. Low-stress mechanical properties obtained by the KES-fabric evaluation system revealed that all tensile, bending and compression properties of spacer fabrics are greatly depending on the type of spacer fabric (warp knit or weft knit), the type of spacer yarn used (monofilament or multifilament), the yarn count of the spacer yarn, the stitch density and the spacer yarn configuration. Air permeability and thermal conductivity of spacer fabric are closely related to the fabric density. This experimental work suggests that carefully selecting the spacer fabric according to the envisaged application is of primary importance.

Introduction

Spacer fabric is a three-dimensional knitted fabric consisting of two separate knitted substrates which are joined together or kept apart by spacer yarns (New patterning possibilities, 2001, Wilkens, 1993, Lehmann, 1994). There are two types of spacer fabrics: warp-knitted spacer fabric and weft-knitted spacer fabric. The first type is knitted on a rib raschel machine having two needle bars (McCartney et al., 1999, Donaghy and Azuero, 1999), while the second is knitted on a double jersey circular machine having a rotatable needle cylinder and needle dial (Shepherd, 2004, Sytz, 2004, Willmer, 2005).

Spacer fabrics are widely used in different products such as mobile textiles (car seat covers, dashboard cover), industrial textiles (composites), medical textiles (anti-decubitus blankets), sports textiles and foundation garments (bra cups, pads for swimwear) (Heide, 2001, Spacer fabrics in medicine, 1999, Bras cups made from a new spacer fabric, 2001). Spacer fabric as a component material is highly breathable, thus creating a moisture free environment, which in turn reduces the chances of skin maceration. These lead to an increased level of comfort when compared to materials such as foam, neoprene and laminate fabrics. Spacer fabrics are regarded as environmentally friendly textile materials (unlike polyurethane foam), since they can be recycled (Wilkens, 1993, Heide, 2001).

Spacer fabrics have been studied globally for many years (Wilkens, 1993, Lehmann, 1994). However, very little research work has been done on the effect of fabric characteristics on its physical and mechanical properties of spacer fabrics. In part I, the influence of several fabric structures on the physical and mechanical properties of spacer fabric will be discussed.

Section snippets

Spacer fabric characteristics

Five different spacer fabrics were used in the present study. Sample 1 was a warp-knitted spacer fabric, while samples 2–5 were weft-knitted spacer fabrics. The fabric characteristics of interest include the fabric density, spacer yarn type, thickness of the spacer fabric, spacer yarn diameter and arrangement. All the experiments were carried out under standard conditions, BS1051, at 20 °C and 65% relative humidity.

Air permeability test

The air permeability of the samples was studied with the KES-F8-AP1 air

Spacer fabric characteristics

The fabric characteristics of five different spacer samples are shown in Table 2, while the sample fabrics’ structures (front, back and side views, for both warp-wise and weft-wise) are shown in Table 3. Generally, the thickness of spacer fabrics can range from 1.5 mm to 60 mm (New patterning possibilities, 2001). The samples thickness used in this study range from 2.8 mm to 4 mm which are the most commonly used values in the sports textile and foundation garment market. The compression resistance

Conclusion

This study performs a quantitative investigation of various fabric characteristics, such as air permeability, thermal conductivity and low-stress mechanical properties (the latter including the stretchability, recovery, bending and compression) of spacer fabrics. It is found that both air permeability and thermal conductivity are closely related to the fabric density. The compression properties depend very much on the spacer yarn type and the spacer yarn arrangement. Bending properties are

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Study of three-dimensional spacer fabrics:: Physical and mechanical properties

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Spacer fabric characteristics

Air permeability test

Spacer fabric characteristics

Conclusion

Mater. Process. Technol.

Kettenwirk-praxis

Spacer fabrics: trends

Kettenwirk-praxis

Modern Textile Characterization Methods

Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation

Elastic, moulded spacer fabric

Kettenwirk-praxis

Determining of the bending strength of knitted spacer fabric

Melliand Textilberichte