No abstract

In this study, the performance of braided composite tubes under low-velocity transverse impact loading at mid-span was investigated using both numerical and experimental methods. Three types of braided composite tubes with different braiding angles (30°, 45°, and 60°) were manufactured. The transverse punch behavior of the tubes was examined on a low-velocity imspact test bench. A meso-level finite element model of the composite tube was also established for identifying the damage initiation and development. The numerical results showed a good correlation with the experimental data. The mechanical response including force–time histories, force–displacement histories, and fracture morphologies was compared between three types of composite tubes for analyzing the influence of braiding angle on the impact response and failure mode. Although suffering from the low bending stiffness depends on fiber volume fraction at initial impact stage, the braided tube with 30° angle engaged more portion to resist impact loading in subsequent process and thus presented higher peak loading than the one with large angle. In addition, there are distinct different failure modes between composite tubes with various braiding angles. Shear yarn breakage underneath the punch was prone to occur in 30° sample because the braiding yarn was closer to the axial direction of tube. In contrast, the resin was deboned severely from the braiding yarn and then the braiding yarn exhibits plastic deformation in 60° sample due to the stress concentration caused by the large braiding angle.

Custom socks, such as medical compression socks and hiking socks, are precisely designed and knitted according to the user's foot shape. However, developing styles of custom socks with commercial computer-aided design software requires workers to manually calculate the knitting parameters, and repeatedly adjust the knitting parameters through sample-making to meet the design requirements. We present a method to optimize the manual calculation and adjustment process of knitting parameters by using graphics technology. Our method converts a sock mesh model created by conventional modeling software into knitting parameters. Hosiery machines are able to knit socks with the same dimensions as the mesh based on the output parameters. Specifically, given user-defined top and toe markers on an input mesh, our system runs a sampling procedure over this mesh to gradually generate a knitting path that contains shape and dimension features of the mesh, and transforms the knitting path into knitting parameters for machine knitting. We demonstrated the feasibility of our method by knitting on a computerized hosiery machine. Filling the knitted socks with a soft foam model, we found that the knitted socks fit roughly well with the mesh surface, and the dimensional gap between the input mesh and the knitted socks (relaxed state) in several positions was below 4.90%.

This study proposes a method for 3D modeling of weft knitted fabric and simulating its deformation behavior. A geometric model of the fabric was established using a loop-mesh unit, and the surface of the yarn was calculated using a reference frame. The patterns of the fabrics were represented by bitmap images. To simulate the deformation behavior of the fabric, a physical model was built based on a dynamic spline that included stretching and bending of the yarn. To simplify the collisions between continuous yarns, collisions were detected using a discrete sphere-spring model. The Euler-Lagrange theorem was introduced to achieve the energy balance of the system, and a stable shape was obtained by solving the Euler-Lagrange equation explicitly according to the convergence conditions. Rendering and deformation of the model were implemented using a simulator program via C++ and OpenGL. The simulation displayed the 3D appearance of the weft knitted fabric. The deformed shapes of fabrics were accurately predicted by the proposed method.

Aiming at the problem of the malfunction of knitting machines caused by the unstable operation of the piezoelectric needle selector during the jacquard process, a state detection scheme for the piezoelectric needle selector that integrates the sensor and drive function co-located is proposed. The motion state of bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam and its bi-directional piezoelectric effect in the jacquard process of piezoelectric needle selector are analyzed. Electrical and dynamic models were established for the electrical characteristics inside the bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam and the dynamic characteristics of the cutter head and baffle of the needle selector. The signal detection circuit is designed to realize the real-time detection of the piezoelectric needle selector state by analyzing the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of the electrical signal. The results show that in the normal working state of the piezoelectric needle selector, the internal electric signal of the piezoelectric driver has two characteristic frequencies, which are between 155 and 180 and between 1630 and 1670 Hz, and the time for the piece to swing to the limit position is relatively long under abnormal working conditions.