Mechanics-Based Simulation of Multistable Knitted Fabrics

The pattern formation process of a one-dimensional yarn into a two-dimensional sheet of knitted fabric exhibits intricate deformation modes with complex contact description. Given this complexity, we are motivated to develop a mechanics-based predictive model that accounts for mechanical parameters in this mechanics-based process. We first characterize parameters that significantly dominate the pattern formation, such as pretension and boundary conditions on the knitted fabric. Then integrate this with development of a simulation scheme, where yarn-yarn interaction and mechanical forces are computed and cross validated against parametric study on the macroscopic mechanical response of knitted elastic fabrics. Our model is generalized to explore the rich landscape of knitted fabrics as each yarn can be parameterized with varying material properties, enabling the design space for functionality of the fabrics to be enormously enlarged. Projecting forward, we hope to extend this simulation scheme for coupled analysis on functionality and data augmentation for optimization of pattern design for multifunctional knitted fabrics.