The Mechanical Behaviour of Single-tricot Warp-knitted Fabrics Part I: An Experimental Investigation of Knitted Fabrics of Varying Loop Geometry under Tensile Stress with Special Attention Given to Inter-yarn Friction

Single-tricot warp-knitted structures made from polyester-fibre (PET-fibre) yarns are analysed for their geometrical properties and their uniaxial tensile behaviour. A detailed study is devoted to the inter-yarn friction in these structures, since yarn slippage is one of the effects dominating large-scale deformations of the fabrics. Both static (initiation of slippage) and sliding (ongoing slippage) friction were investigated. The results of the investigations serve as a basis for finite-element modelling (FEM), which will be treated in another paper.