The Role of Intra-Yarn Shear in Integrated Multi-Scale Deformation Analyses of Woven Fabrics: A Critical Review

ABSTRACT

This article attempts to bring an enhanced insight into the analysis of in-plane shear behavior of woven fabrics. Two common methods have been used to characterize the shear behavior of woven preforms, namely the Bias Extension (BE) and Picture Frame (PF) tests. In spite of the identical macro-scale shear deformation of fabrics in these two characterization procedures, the current study demonstrates that their underlying micro- and meso-scale deformation mechanisms are quite distinct. The trellising mechanism, which is based on the well-known Pin-Joint Theory (PJT), has been regarded for a long time as the sole model to describe the meso-scale deformation of woven fabrics in both the BE and PF tests. Throughout this article, this mechanism is challenged for the PF test by undertaking a multi-scale analysis along with a critical review and integration of the previous experimental, analytical, and numerical studies. Intra-yarn shear, which has not been fully understood yet, is substantiated as a potential meso-level deformation mechanism occurring in the PF test. Accordingly, a new meso-level deformation model is proposed and compared with the trellising shear pattern in the BE setup. Afterward, the comparison is extended from meso-level to macro-level in order to provide more in-depth hypotheses for explaining differences reported in the literature between the shear characteristics of fabrics using BE and PF tests. Finally, some guidelines have been sought to select more reliable characterization method given a forming process.

KEYWORDS:

• Multi-scale analysis
• shear characterization
• woven composite preforms
• bias extension testing
• picture frame testing

Acknowledgments

The support of colleagues at the Composites Research Network, in particular the stimulating discussions with Mr. Kurtis Wilden, Mr. Karl Nelson and Mr. Mark Shead from The Boeing Company, are greatly valued.

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.