Home / Technical Article / Interaction between Textile Material and Coating in Coated Fabrics

Interaction between Textile Material and

Coating in Coated Fabrics
1. S. M. Farhana Iqbal, Lecturer (Tech.), BUTEX, Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2. Dr. Engr. Md. Humaun Kabir, Principal, NITTRAD, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Issue June, 2012

Volume 05, Issue 06

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ABSTRACT
As the market for coated fabrics expands to applications with more complex geometries and
loading conditions, a competitive edge can be gained by optimizing the selection and design of
fabric substrate and coating materials. Currently, the lack of understanding of the interaction
between the fiber structure and the coating limits our ability to predict undesirable behaviors
such as wrinkling, distortion, and tear. This combined experimental/modeling effort attempts to
advance our fundamental knowledge of deformation mechanisms and parametric effects for these
materials. In this paper, the results of preliminary shear tests at elevated temperatures
demonstrate the effect of coating viscosity on the fabric shear response. Macromechanical
modeling of the fabric grab test geometry helps to explain the higher failure loads and failure
behavior seen in these tests versus strip tests. A brief discussion of anticipated future work in
the area of experimental characterization, measurement technique development, and modeling is
also presented.
INTRODUCTION:
Coated fabrics have wide applications in fields such as medical substrates, protective clothing,
flexible membranes for civil structures, airbags, geotextiles, and industrial fabrics [1,2]. With
cost a major factor, the competition from Asia and South America is fierce [3]. The key to US
competitiveness is technical advantage high quality at a competitive price. Manufacturers
must understand how a material will behave in converting and end-use operations to optimize
material and process selection. While the emphasis in past studies on coated fabrics has been
primarily on gas or liquid permeability, the mechanical properties are a fundamental component
of the material design. Flexibility, tensile strength, tear strength, and stretching and shearing
response are all important factors. Currently, selection of the optimal combination of textile
materials, textile structures, and coating compounds for the anticipated loading condition is often
based on the strength of the textile substrate alone. Yet, it has been shown that the in-situ(coated)
properties can differ significantly from that predicted based on the properties of the constituents
prior to coating. The discrepancies and the consequences are likely to be further exacerbated by
the desire to utilize new textile substrates (woven and nonwoven) to obtain technically superior
properties with less material. The lack of understanding of the interaction between the fiber

structure and the coating limits our ability to optimize material and textile structural
configurations for coated fabrics under complex loading conditions.
The specific focus of this project is to address the following:

Effect of textile structure and coating viscosity on coated fabric shear and stretching
behavior.

Effect of coating migration on processing and end-use properties (e.g., effect of single
and double-sided coating, effect of yarn impregnation).

Effect of substrate and coating interaction on strength and stiffness.

Development of advanced test and measurement techniques for characterizing coated

fabrics under complex loading conditions.

BACKGROUND:
Models of coated fabrics typically represent the material as a non-linear elastic or inelastic
material or as a visco-elastic material [2,4-6]. Some models predict the response of a fabric
based simply on a rule-of-mixtures type approach. More extensive models have been developed
which use Classical Lamination Theory [2] or represent the combination of crimp interchange
and elastic behavior based on results from uniaxial tests of the coated fabrics in the principal
directions [7]. Some complex geometries have been investigated with finite element models [8].
Experimentally, researchers have shown that the fiber substrate governs the strength, elongation,
and dimensional stability, while the coating influences permeability, bonding, and abrasion
properties [9,10]. Of particular interest is that the shear behavior, tear strength, long-term
performance, and adhesion depend on the interaction between the fiber substrate and the
coating.
These existing models of mechanical behavior have primarily focused on predicting response to
axial and biaxial loadings of coated woven fabrics. For axial and biaxial loading, the behavior is
dominated by the fiber and yarn tensile response. In contrast, loading off-axis to the fiber
direction results in shearing, which involves a more complex interaction of fiber rotation, yarn
compression at intersecting points, and flow or straining of the coating. Because of the increased
complexity, there has been little research conducted on the response under arbitrary loading paths
and histories [2]. Even with membranes used for inflated structures, where the loading is
primarily biaxial, the existence of seams results in a very different local stress distribution.
These stresses, combined with the potential weakness of the bond, lead to the common
occurrence of seam failures. This type of problem is just one example of the need to have a
fundamental understanding of how the material deforms under more complex loading conditions.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
This project will have an extensive experimental portion in the initial stages, coupled with the
development of a micromechanical model for coated fabrics. The experimental component will

be used to identify the governing mechanisms at different loading conditions. This will include
tensile, shear, and peel tests at a range of shear rates and temperatures. Other factors to be
investigated include coating thickness, one-sided and two-sided coating, material types, textile
structure, and gage length effects.
Sample 1 shows the experimental setup for measuring fabric shear under a range of shear rates
and temperatures. An infrared oven was constructed to enable rapid heating of the coated
fabrics. The trellis frame shear fixture is designed to apply a pure shear condition to the fabrics,
with the warp and weft yarns aligned parallel to the sides of the fixture. Sample 2 shows
preliminary shear results for a plain weave fabric at temperatures ranging from room temperature
to just below the melt temperature. Note that as the temperature increases, the shear force (i.e.,
the resistance to yarn rotation) decreases due to the drop in resin viscosity.
NOVEL MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES:
One of the challenges of this research will be to measure the local deformation in the fabric
during loading. Combined with the global response, this can be used to determine some of the
interaction effects and validate the model. Because of the flexible nature of the fabric, this
involves using some type of non-contacting method such as a video camera and image analysis
software, but high resolutions are needed, as well as an efficient method of marking the fabric.
Such techniques have been used in the past by researchers, including one of the team members,
but further refinement is needed to obtain useful correlation with the model. Marking methods
may include simple screen printing of the coated fabrics to quantify the global response. Various
methods to measure the local yarn and fiber deformation and movement will be utilized,
including (i) video/image analysis of a clear-coated fabric and (ii) OCT, optical coherence
tomography. A recent collaboration has been established with researchers at NIST who have
been using this technique (OCT) to image fibrous structures. Originally developed as a low-cost
alternative to CAT scans, this technology can potentially be used by the textile industry forin-situ
characterization of fibers and interfaces in textile structures.
Based on the experimental results, a combined micromechanical/macromechanical model of the
coated fabric will be developed to represent the physics of the exhibited deformation. The
micromechanical model will start with the initial unit-cell geometry of the textile substrate.
Unit-cell deformation and flow/straining of the coating will be tied to an easily measurable
parameter such as shear strain. Additional experimental investigations will be conducted on the
fiber-coating interface to incorporate this load transfer effect into the model.

FABRIC MODELING OF TEST CONFIGURATIONS:

To better understand and interpret the results of the various test configurations, some initial
macromechanical modeling of the test geometries has been conducted. In terms of specimen
shapes, there are mainly two different types of tensile strength tests for woven fabrics, i.e., the
grab and ravelled strip specimens. Although both specimens are designated as the ASTM

standard (ASTM D 1682), the breaking load obtained for the grab specimen is greater than that
for the strip method of the same fabric width inserted in the clamps.
There are some advantages to using the grab specimen. First, it is much simpler to prepare the
samples, in comparison with the strip, especially the ravelled strip method. Also, the test result of
a grab method corresponds more closely to load applications in practical use. It is extremely rare
that stretching of a fabric is performed on a sample of the same width as the part where tensile
forces are applied. However, the strip or ravelled strip tests usually provide results that are easier
to interpret. The grab specimen is extensively used by textile industry, and the strip method is
preferred by the research community. It is highly desirable therefore to establish the relationship
between the testing results using the two different specimens of the same fabric.
There has been at least two attempts to accomplish this task, i.e., by Walen [11] in 1916 and by
Eeg-Olofsson and Bernskiold [12]. However, both methods have been largely empirical, and the
physical implications are not clear in their treatments. So it is the purpose of this study to
develop a much more rigorous theoretical analysis to establish the relationship between the
testing results of the two type samples. This analysis and similar analyses for the other tests to be
conducted on the uncoated fabric substrates and the coated fabrics will lead to proper
interpretation of the experimental results.
A theoretical analysis was conducted to study the relationship between the strengths tested using
grab and strip specimens respectively. The shear and tensile stresses distributions at the portion
of the grab specimen not directly stretched are derived in [13,14]. The total force carried by this
portion of the specimen is calculated, which provides the difference between the test results of
the two specimen types, and a parametric analysis is carried out to show the effects of the
parameters related.
SUMMARY AND FUTURE WORK:
This research is focused on significant contributions in three areas:
(1) experimental characterization of coated fabrics; (2) development of experimental techniques
for measuring deformation of fabrics; and (3) modeling of coated fabric mechanical behavior. In
the first few months of this project, efforts have primarily been concentrated on identifying
appropriate substrate/coating combinations and on developing robust methods of testing and of
test analysis. Preliminary experimental results show that the effect of temperature on deformation
behavior can be obtained using an infrared oven and shear frame fixture. Initial modeling efforts
have made possible an improved interpretation of the difference between grab test and strip test
results. Future work can be included a detailed experimental study of the effect of various
parameters such as fabric construction, temperature, shear rate, and coating thickness on coated
fabric shear behavior. Macromechanical modeling of the fabric stresses and strains will continue
for the desired test configurations. Micromechanical modeling of the fabric deformation will be
initiated, as will the development of experimental measurement tools and techniques. The
outcomes of this project will lead to an improved fundamental understanding of the mechanical
response of coated fabrics, as well as to the development of improved design guidelines for
selection of substrate and coating compound.

REFERENCES:
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