Investigation of the effect of weave and elastane yarn use on auxetic woven fabric formation and various physical performance parameters

Purpose Materials with negative Poisson’s ratio are known show improved performance properties. By designing woven fabric structures with auxetic properties, it would be possible to add many functional features to the structure in a single step compared to conventional fabric structures. This study investigated the weave designs for forming auxetic woven fabric structures and also the effects of using elastane yarns on Poisson’s ratio and possible auxetic performances. Design/methodology/approach Weave pattern designs consisting of re-entrant honeycomb and re-entrant zigzag forms, created by long floats and one-to-one intersections of yarns, were included in fabric structure. In addition, fabrics were woven by inserting weft yarns with and without elastane component to evaluate the effect of using elastane component on the auxetic performance. For this purpose, fabrics were woven with 100% polyester warp and weft yarns. Measurement of air permeability and % wetting area of fabrics under different elongations were carried out. Findings Results showed that NPR could be obtained from the designed patterns creating re-entrant honeycomb and re-entrant zigzag geometrical forms on the fabric surface. Also, it was found that the use of elastane yarn had an improving effect on auxetic performance of the woven fabrics. Originality/value By designing auxetic structured woven fabrics could be preferred in areas of use where clothing comfort was desired, due to the transverse expansion behavior as a result of the auxetic effect due to tension and the resulting pore opening effect.