A Modeling Study of Elastic Properties of Structured Fabrics under Vacuum Pressure

tructured fabrics are compliant, engineered textile materials that can be designed using interlinked truss-like grain elements. Examples include traditional knitted sheets and chainmail armours, which are characterised by negligible bending stiffness in their unconfined state. Recent research, however, has shown that when subjected to confinement pressure, these structures exhibit increased stiffness, transforming them into cohesive structural materials and structures. This unique behaviour enables the development of lightweight, tuneable, and adaptive fabrics for a range of advanced applications, including wearable exoskeletons, haptic systems, and devices for passive and semi-active vibration and noise control, such as tuneable vibration absorbers. In this study, we present a homogenized physical model that describes the variation in elastic properties of in-vacuo structured fabrics with confinement pressure. Inspired by models for granular media, the proposed improved approach incorporates the effects of grain geometry. The model is then applied to predict the resonant response of finite beam structures. Predictions are validated through experimental results, demonstrating the model’s capability to capture the mechanical adaption of the in-vacuo structured fabrics with confinement pressure.