The Onset of Tearing at Slits in Stressed Coated Plain Weave Fabrics

Abstract

A simple micromechanical model is presented for predicting the onset of tearing at slitlike damage sites in biaxially stressed coated plain weave fabrics. The stress concentration in the first intact yarn at the slit tip is determined as a function of increasing loading, and predictions for the onset of tearing are made under the assumption that tearing initiates through the rupture of the first intact yarn at a characteristic yarn breaking load. Extensive onset of tearing experiments on various coated nylon and polyester fabrics are presented, and the model is shown to capture the onset of tearing in these fabrics quite well over a range of slit lengths.