Memory behaviour of polyester knitted fabric integrated with temperature-responsive shape memory polymer filament

The present article highlights a novel approach towards investigating the memory behaviour of shape memory filaments integrated into a knitted textile structure. This study is the first step to investigate the interaction behaviour of such smart materials within textile structures. This integration can further open vast possibilities in designing smart textiles with unique functionalities such as sensing and actuating. A shape memory fabric (SMF) was successfully knitted using shape memory filament and polyester yarn. A systematic investigation is carried out to quantify the memory behaviour of SMF by thermo-mechanical tensile test. The experimental results reveal excellent shape recovery ( R r ) (>90%) and good shape fixity ( R f ) (∼80%) at strains of 20% and 60%, and temperatures of 30°C and 50°C. Memory filament behaves differently in a fabric structure compared to its pristine state at different temperatures and strains, as confirmed by experimental results. Under various thermo-mechanical conditions, the cyclic test of SMF revealed almost complete R r with an improvement in R f .