Analysis of knitted fabric reinforced composites. II. Stiffness and strength

The influence of the knit structure on the stiffness and strength in tensile and in share loading of glass warp knitted fabric epoxy composites is studied. The average strength depends on the fiber content and on the linear density of the yarn. The anisotropy in tensile and shear properties is related to the orientation tensor components alpha sub 1111 and alpha sub 1122 , respectively. By making use of these relationships, a knit structure can be evaluated with regard to the mechanical properties of its composite with only two measurements: (1) measurement of the achievable fiber content; and (2) measurement of the fiber orientations.