Investigation of tensile and flexural behavior of biaxial and rib 1 x 1 weft-knitted composite using experimental tests and multi-scale finite element modeling

In this study, tensile and flexural behavior of biaxial and rib weft-knitted composite is obtained numerically and experimentally. Multi-scale finite element modeling is employed to simulate the tensile and flexural behavior of composite samples. In the finite element modeling, the geometry of a unit cell of each fabric is initially modeled in ABAQUS software, and then periodic boundary conditions were applied to a unit cell. The stiffness matrix for each structure was obtained by a python code via meso scale modeling and used as input data for the macro modeling. To validate the numerical model, two types of weft-knitted fabrics (rib 1 x 1 and biaxial fabrics) are produced by a flat weft knitting machine. Epoxy resin is used to construct composite by the vacuum injection process (VIP). After that, the tensile and three-point bending tests were applied to composite samples. The experimental results showed that tensile strength and tensile modulus of biaxial composites are greater than rib composites, in both wale and course directions. Moreover, in three-point bending test, biaxial composite showed more strength and more stiffness in comparison to rib composite. Finite element results were compared to experimental results in tensile and bending tests. The results showed that good agreement with experimental results in the linear section of tensile and flexural behavior of composites. Consequently, the current multi-scale modeling can be used to predict the stiffness matrix and mechanical behavior of complex composite structures such as knitted composites.