Mechanical properties of weft knit glass fibre/polyester laminates

Abstract Weft knitting is a well-established process for fibre conversion. It is of particular interest to the manufacturer of fibre composites because of its potential for the net shape manufacture of preforms. The garment industry is capable of producing complex shapes in high volumes using existing CAD/ CAM techniques which have direct application to preform production. This paper describes an investigation of the fibre configuration produced in weft knitting and the mechanical properties which are found in laminates using glass fibres in this form of reinforcement. The mechanical properties of the laminate are examined on the basis of both experimental results and predictions made by the application of a simple elastic model. Results are presented for both the basic plain weft knit construction and those which arise from modified versions of this stitch. A comparison with the properties of laminates produced by conventional preform technology is made.