Fundamental geometric model of 3D knitted spacer fabric

3D knitted spacer fabric is a three dimensional textile structure composing of two surface fabric layers combined by pile yarns whose thickness changed depending on the final application area. The pile yarns are alternatively bound to the cylinder and dial needles with tuck stitches during the knitting cycle. In this study, a fundamental geometric modeling is proposed to predict the yarn consumption of 3D knitted spacer fabric for home textile application. The model was proposed with very fundamental assumptions. The initial step was to follow up the yarn path in order to characterize the fabric structure. The theoretical yarn consumption was compared with the experimental value for two different fabric tightness but having the same fabric design and knit. The samples were manufactured on double-jersey circular knitting machine equipped with spacer attachment. It was found that there was only small deviation between the theory and experiment.