Grip point spacing along the edges of an anisotropic fabric sheet in a biaxial tensile test

Abstract The technique of gripping fabric edges using pin grips has been applied in several studies of biaxial mechanical behavior of fabrics. This paper presents a theoretical study of the nonuniform stress distribution caused by the spacing of the grip points. The theory leads to expressions of the shear strain in the fabric specimen and the displacement of the grip points by which the tensile stress nonuniformity caused by the grip method can be calculated. The analysis reveals important factors affecting the stress distribution in a fabric specimen and provides design criteria for new instrument development.