Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Comparison of energy absorption of composites reinforced with auxetic and non-auxetic weft-knitted fabrics

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shiva Aghazadeh
Hooshang Nosraty
Seyed Abolfazl Mirdehghan
Department of Textile Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijme.2025.512820.2067
Abstract
Auxetic materials are materials with a negative Poisson’s ratio, meaning that when stretched in one direction, they expand in the perpendicular direction, and when subjected to compressive force, they contract in the other direction. Due to their unique properties, such as high indentation resistance, synclastic curvature, energy absorption under impact, shear and crack resistance, and variable permeability, auxetic materials have attracted attention for various applications, including composites. These characteristics also make them suitable for medical, protective, and sports applications. This study aims to use auxetic weft-knitted fabrics as the reinforcing phase in composites. For this purpose, two types of fabrics—auxetic and non-auxetic—were produced using polyester yarns of the same count. The composites were then fabricated by reinforcing them with these fabrics and polyurethane resin. To evaluate the energy absorption of the produced composites under impact force, a low-velocity impact test using a drop-weight system was conducted. The results showed that composites reinforced with auxetic fabric had 8 to 9 times more energy absorption compared to those reinforced with non-auxetic fabric.
Keywords
Composite
Auxetic
Negative Poisson’s Ratio
Auxetic Textiles
Impact Energy Absorption
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