Theoretical analysis of compression of rib knitted fabric

Lateral compression of polymer fibrous materials is of great interest for various applications such as textile products, and fiber-reinforced composites. The ability of the fabric to deform under the force applied normally to its plane is determined by fiber properties, the compressibility and surface properties of the constituent yarn, and the fabric's structural characteristics. Many scientists have been working on modeling fibrous assembly's compression and recovery behavior. Van Wyk's compression theory was the first theoretical model explaining the compressional behavior of fiber mass. This theory is the simplest but most realistic model of compression. The process of plying or folding yarns balances the torque of the novel linear fibrous assembly and improves evenness, strength, and surface characteristics. Some properties of folded yarns have been extensively investigated but, there are no investigations of the effect of the ply twisting of yarns on the compression ability of rib knitted fabrics. This investigation continues the research attempting to provide insight into the potential of yarn folding in terms of compressional behavior. A mechanical model based on van Wyk's compression theory was applied to describe the multicyclic compression behavior of rib knits, both in the compression and relaxation phases. A high correlation between experimentally and theoretically obtained compression curves was established.