This project supports a cooperative project by the Dr. Sabit Adanur, Department of Textile Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, Dr. Heshmat Aglan, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama and Drs. Levent Gumusel, and Hasan Bas, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. They plan to characterize, automate and optimize the novel three-dimensional hybrid weaving/knitting machines that combine knitting and weaving principles to produce novel 3D woven/knit structures using the state of the art electronic and robotic control concepts. The hybrid machine motions and fabric processing parameters will be defined and studied. Novel fabric prototypes will be fabricated to establish the basic knowledge to understand the motions of active parts and their results on the production of 3D fabric structures. Design defects and problems will be identified and solved. Three major industrial yarns (carbon, glass and aramid) will be evaluated for their formability in the hybrid 3D weaving/knitting machine. Variations of yarn stress along the yarn path will be studied for different fabric thickness, stitch length, machine speed, and needle strokes. Interactions and relations between knittability and machine settings will be investigated. The limitations of stitch length for each yarn type will be determined. A theoretical model, which could predict the knitting performance based on yarn characteristics, will be generated. Manufacturing principles of a patented novel hybrid structure will be characterized and established. The preparation, characterization and understanding the capabilities of this novel structure will open up new opportunities for fiber-based composites. With the proposed work, a new 3D fibrous structure and its manufacturing method will be introduced to the literature.
Scope and broader Impacts: The novel 3D hybrid fabric structures and the machines used to produce them will be included in the material of textile engineering courses. Undergraduate and graduate students can use these machines for their projects. Several textile companies will be interested in the outcome of the proposed work. The results will be mutually beneficial to the participating countries. This project is jointly funded by OISE and the Division of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation.
