Mesh modeling and simulation for three-dimensional warp-knitted tubular fabrics

This article concentrates on a geometric-based simulation method for warp-knitted tubular fabrics. The warp-knitted tubular fabric is unfolded as a two-dimensional flat fabric after analyzing the structural characteristics of this kind of fabric knitted on the double needle bar warp knitting machine. Based on the principle of spatial transformation, a coordinate transformation algorithm using matrix operations is proposed, which allows a two-dimensional flat fabric to convert into a three-dimensional shaped tubular fabric. Spatial positions for data points of every single stitch are confirmed by coordinate mapping to fit the curved surface. Stitches undergo the deformation with the principle of the mass-spring model so as to make the mesh structure appear. Integrated with spatial transformation matrix operations, the validity of the proposed method is experimentally confirmed by simulating the warp-knitted tubular fabrics with the tube diameter changing of different segments, which realize the three-dimensional simulation for vivid shaped warp-knitted tubular products.