Design, preparation and characterization of three-dimensional auxetic warp and weft backed weave fabrics based on origami tessellation structures

Materials with a negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) are also called auxetic materials, which as a branch of mechanical metamaterials have drawn a great deal of attention in many areas. Origami tessellation structures (OTSs) exhibit an in-plane NPR; meanwhile, they may also show an out-of-plane NPR, which may be called three-dimensional (3D) auxetic structures. In the crease pattern of OTSs, there are folding lines in perpendicular directions. Contractions in the warp direction need warp backed weave structures. Herein, warp and weft backed weaves are used together and three OTS Jacquard fabrics are designed. From the physical map, we can see that the elastic warp yarns and elastic weft yarns can form floats in the warp and weft directions, and the flat fabrics can be folded in to 3D OTSs according to the crease patterns designed. The in-plane and out-of-plane Poisson’s ratios of OTSs have been predicted and, subsequently, compared with the experimental results. All OTS fabrics can show an in-plane NPR, two fabrics show out-of-plane NPRs and one shows an out-of-plane positive Poisson’s ratio. A parametric analysis about the interior angle has revealed the interplay between the geometrical parameters of OTSs and the Poisson’s ratio. In various design fields, elastic yarns combined with warp and weft backed weave textile technology can pave the way for realizing new crease pattern fabrics focused on 3D auxetic materials. Theoretical results can provide methodological guidance and technical support for the design and manufacture of OTS fabrics with optimum functional performance or desired aesthetics.