The Onset of Tear Propagation at Slits in Stressed Uncoated Plain Weave Fabrics

A simple micromechanical model is developed to predict the onset of tear propagation at slit-like damage sites (i.e., a series of consecutive aligned yarn breaks) in biaxially stressed plain weave fabrics under increasing loading. A crucial aspect of the model is the treatment of the frictional slip of yarns near the damage site. Although the actual configuration of slipping regions is complex, the onset of tear propagation in large slits (i.e., more than, say, 35 breaks) is dominated by slip occurring on the first few intact yarns adjacent to the breaks. The assumptions in the mathematical model were motivated by both experimental observations and calculations for key configurations. Analytical results obtained for this simple model exhibit good agreement with experimental results, which are presented for a variety of fabrics with initial slits of 35 and 45 breaks.