A study of curling in rib-knit constructions

Abstract

Rib-knit fabrics are among the fundamental structures which can be produced on the double-bed knitting machine. Ribs are very popular textiles because of certain crucial properties, i.e. extensive shrinkage in width and dimensional stability of the structure, which are not observed in the single jersey fabrics. In this study, an analysis of the physical and the mechanical properties of balanced rib-knitted fabrics has been presented. The loop structure and dimensions were also quantified. To explain the properties of rib-knitted fabrics, we have proposed and employed the phenomenon of curling. In rib-knitted fabrics, curling happens in the local regions of the fabric. Higher rib structures exhibited greater curling tendencies. Consequently, a novel method of quantification of the curling in ribs was proposed, i.e. the concept of ‘de-curling energy’. This proposed notion of de-curling energy was found to be applicable to all fabric designs. The experimental results were found to be coherent with the proposed theory.

Keywords:

• Fabric designs
• curling
• bending moment
• physical & mechanical properties
• geometry of loop

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.