Characterization of a knitted fabric reinforced elastomer composite

The majority of knitted fabric composites reported in the literature are based on rigid matrix materials, either thermoset or thermoplastic polymers. This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of a knitted fabric reinforced elastomer composite. The composite was made from a combination of weft knitted polyester fiber interlock fabric and polyurethane matrix. The research work reported in this paper includes two parts, i.e., experimental part and theoretical part. The experimental characterization comprises tensile testing of polyester fiber and polyurethane matrix, tensile testing of composite in wale and course directions, and determination of the fiber volume fraction in the composite. The theoretical investigation includes development of a suitable geometrical model to specify the fiber orientation and prediction of the initial elastic constants of the composite material. The predicted elastic properties were validated by comparing with the experimental data.