Mechanics of Elastic Performance of Textile Materials

Abstract

Theoretical analyses of the effects of fiber diameter, fiber tensile and torsional stiff ness, fiber distribution and fabric density on the bending rigidity of nonwoven fabrics are presented. The fibers are assumed to exhibit linear tensile and shear stress-strain behavior. The two extreme cases of complete freedom and no freedom of relative fiber motion are analyzed. A comparison is made between the predicted and experimentally observed bending rigidities of a waterlaid, nonwoven fabric composed of short, straight viscose rayon fibers.