Behaviour of Knitted Materials in a Vibrating Environment

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Vibration Engineering

Background:

• Industrial activities and tools generate vibrations that can cause human injuries.
• Knitted materials show potential for shock absorption in anti-vibration equipment.
• Limited research exists on natural yarns in spacer fabrics for vibration-prone environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the vibration absorption properties of spacer knitted fabrics with natural yarns.
• To determine the influence of material properties on natural frequencies and vibration transmissibility.
• To identify optimal fabric compositions for protective anti-vibration applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabric samples: Six spacer knitted fabrics with cotton or cashmere outer layers and PES monofilament connectors.
• Natural frequency measurement: Free vibration method.
• Vibration transmissibility simulation: One-degree-of-freedom vibration system.

Main Results:

• Natural frequencies are influenced by experimental direction, yarn count, stitch density, and material thickness.
• Cotton yarns (Nm 1/50) exhibited the highest damping capacity and specific damping coefficient.
• Fabrics with cotton yarns (Nm 1/50) showed the lowest vibration transmission.

Conclusions:

• Spacer knitted fabrics, particularly those with cotton yarns (Nm 1/50), are effective in reducing vibration transmission.
• Understanding natural frequencies is crucial for preventing resonance in anti-vibration materials.
• These findings recommend specific knitted fabric structures for developing effective protective materials against industrial vibrations.