The Shape and Dimensions of Plain Knitted Fabric: A Fabric Mechanical Model

A new knitted fabric mechanical model was developed using the energy model of knitted loop which was described in a previous paper [ Textile Res. J. 73(8), 739—748 (2003)]. It was assumed that the shape of the yarn after knitting was curved and had non-linear mechanical properties. In developing the model, the effect of residual torque on yarn was considered. The loops were allowed to rotate such that the geometry of each loop was no longer symmetrical. The new fabric model allowed predictions of both fabric dimensions and wale spirality. Experimental results showed that there was excellent agreement between the calculated and measured values for both course spacing and spirality. For the first time, wale spirality was predicted within a theoretical framework.