Mechanical properties of bifacial fabrics

This study focuses on the qualitative evaluation of the mechanical properties of bifacial fabrics, which have a knitted structure on one face and a woven structure on the other. Woven, knitted, and bifacial fabrics were produced on a purpose-built machine, using wool/acrylic and polyester yarns. The bifacial fabric was manufactured with the woven structure being a plain weave and the knitted structure being a single jersey. The results of load–extension test showed unique tensile behavior, with two breakages in both the warp and weft directions, representing the woven and knitted structures. The bending length of the bifacial fabric in the weft direction with its knitted face up was smaller than that in the warp direction, and the bending length in the warp direction with its knitted face up was similar to that in two directions with the woven face up. The bifacial fabric demonstrated unique abrasion resistance on two faces, combining the performance of the knitted and woven fabrics in abrasion resistance. The abrasion resistance on the woven face was better than that on the knitted face. The knitted face of the bifacial fabric generally pilled less than the knitted fabric after abrasion over a certain number of cycles.