Dynamic thermo-mechanical and impact properties of helical auxetic yarns

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the dynamic thermo-mechanical and impact properties of helical auxetic yarns (HAYs). A series of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) core fibres fabricated using an extrusion process have been wrapped with either ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) wrap or stainless steel wire wrap to form helical auxetic yarns. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measurements indicated that the core/wrap diameter ratio and the initial wrap angle influenced significantly the dynamic thermo-mechanical behaviour of HAYs. The impact test results have shown that the fibre property, impact velocity and the initial wrap angle had great effect on the impact response of a HAY. Importantly, in this work it is shown that an optimal wrap angle can be found to give the best combination of stiffness, energy absorption and auxetic performance of HAYs.