A Theoretical Analysis of the Plain-Knitted Structure

Abstract

A theoretical analysis was made of the relaxed plain-knitted structure. The analysis differs from previous ones in that no arbitrary geometrical loop shape is assumed and no empirical methods are used. The loop configuration is de rived from consideration of the reaction forces and couples acting within the structure, their magnitude being determined by the yarn displacement necessary for loop interlocking. A minimum-energy structure is shown to exist; this structure is fairly independent of fabric tightness and yarn properties. The actual energy minimum is fairly shallow, so that in practice some difficulty could be expected in obtaining a perfectly relaxed fabric; this would lead to a corresponding spread in experimental values of plain-knitted fabric shape and dimensions. The numerical values of fabric dimensions obtained from the analysis show good agreement with the experimental data reported by other workers.