This paper presents experimental and theoretical studies of the failure behavior of knitted fabric composites. Test results of the tensile and shear strengths of plain-stitch and rib-stitch fabric composites are presented. It has been determined that fracture initiates due to yam/matrix debonding, and the interfacial crack propagates along the yam/matrix interface. An analytical model of the failure behavior based upon observation of the fracture surface is presented. A good agreement between experimental and predicted failure strengths is obtained for plain-stitch fabric composites under warp direction loading. Large discrepancies exist between predicted and experimental strengths for other cases.
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