Shear Strength of Fibrous Sheets: An Experimental Investigation

Abstract

This study of the shear strength of fibrous sheets first measures the in-plane shear strengths of various samples, including woven and nonwoven fabrics and paper, using a custom-made apparatus attached to an Instron tester. The structure of the apparatus and the measurement procedures are introduced in this article. The tested shear strength values are then compared with theoretical predictions from an earlier work. Discrepancies and possible causes are analyzed. Load-elongation curves for both tensile and shear are compared for individual fabrics and between fabrics. The relationship between the anisotropy of fabric tensile strength and the ratio of tested and predicted shear strength is explored. Also, the effect of fiber movement during textile deformation is examined. Finally, the original Tsai-Wu theory used for shear strength prediction of anisotropic materials is modified for application to the fibrous sheets, and the new predictions are provided for comparison.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Asvadi

Postle

, An Analysis of Fabric Large Strain Shear Behavior Using Linear Viscoelasticity Theory, Textile Res. J. 64, 208 (1994).

Hearle

J. W. S.

Grosberg

Backer

, “Structural Mechanics of Yarns and Fabrics,” vol. 1, Wiley-Interscience, NY, 1969, p. 372.

Kawabata

, “The Standardization and Analysis of Hand Evaluation,” 2nd ed., The Textile Machinery Society of Japan, Osaka, Japan, 1980.

Norris

C. B.

, Strength of Orthotropic Materials Subjected to Combined Stress, Report No. 1816, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, 1950.

Pan

, An Analysis on Woven Fabric Strength: Prediction of Fabric Strength Under Uniaxial and Biaxial Extensions, Composites Sci. Technol. 56, 311 (1996).

Pan

Yoon

M. Y.

, The Structural Anisotropy, Failure Criterion, and Shear Strength of Woven Fabrics, Textile Res. J. 66, 238 (1996).

Postle

Carnaby

G. A.

de Jong

, “The Mechanics of Wool Structure,” Ellis Horvvood Limited, England, 1988, p. 340.

Pouyet

Huchon

Vidal

, Predicting Compressive and Shear Strengths of Polymer or Paper Sheets from Off-axial Tensile Tests, in “Mechanics of Wood and Paper Materials,” Proc. Winter Annual Meeting of ASME, AMD-V. 112, MD-V. 23, Perkins

R. W.

, Ed., 1990, p. 99.

Rowlands

R. E.

Gunderson

D. E.

Suhling

J. C.

Johnson

M. W.

, Biaxial Strength of Paperboard Predicted by Hill-type Theories, J. Strain Anal. 20, 121 (1985).

10.

Subramaniam

Sivakumar

Srinivasan

Sasikala

, Determining Factors that Affect Fabric Shear Behavior with the Twist Method, Textile Res. J. 60, 368 (1990).

11.

Sinoimeri

Drean

J. Y.

, A Study of the Mechanical Behavior of the Plain-weave Structure by Using Energy Methods—Fabric Shear, J. Textile Inst. 87, 120 (1996).

12.

Treloar

L. R. C.

, The Effect of Test-piece Dimensions on the Behavior of Fabrics in Shear, J. Textile Inst. 56, T533 (1988).

13.

Tsai

S. W.

, A General Theory of Strength for Anisotropic Materials, J. Compos. Mater. 5, 58 (1971).