Simulation of the effects of structural parameters of glass fiber fabric on the thermal insulation property

The impact of different structural parameters on the thermal insulation of glass fiber fabrics, by using numerical simulation, was investigated. The structural parameters investigated were the weave structure, warp density and yarn fineness. A series of structure models were calculated under the same boundary and initial conditions, which combine thermal radiation, conduction and convection. The simulation results have been validated by experiments. The experimental results and the predictions from numerical simulations were in good agreement. The results show that thermal insulation for the samples is in the order plain < 2/1 twill < 2/2 twill < 2/3 twill < 3/3 twill fabric, when using constant structure density and yarn fineness. Increasing the warp density, from 110 to 160 ends/10 cm, leads to a significant decrease in heat transfer performance. When the warp density increases to more than 160 ends/10 cm, the thermal insulation property shows a decreasing trend with an increase in warp density. Furthermore, thermal insulation performance of the samples dramatically increases as yarn fineness goes from 129 to 280 tex, and then decreases for yarn fineness greater than 280 tex. This study will provide the theoretical basis for the thermal design and application of fibrous materials.