Central tearing characteristics of laminated fabrics: Effect of slit parameter, off-axis angle, and loading speed

Abstract

Based on our prior study on uniaxial tearing tests, the influences of slit parameters, off-axis angles, and loading speeds on the tearing behaviors and strengths were discussed further. Results show that the tearing behaviors and strengths of the studied material are affected by above factors significantly, and typical tearing stress-displacement curves could be defined as four characteristic regions: a co-deformation region, a yarn extension region (or shear deformation region), a plateau region, and a post peak region. There is a W-shaped relationship between tearing strength and off-axis angle, with a small peak at 45°, and a new tearing strength criterion consisting of two parts, i.e., an inverted V-shaped part and a U-shaped part, was proposed for this laminated fabric. Comparisons between the experimental and the calculated results for the laminated fabric were performed, and the strong agreements demonstrate that the proposed criterion is feasible and accurate.