Impact of Weft Laid-in Structural Knitting Design on Fabric Tension Behavior and Interfacial Pressure Performance of Circular Knits

Inlay yarn and laid-in stitches as important technical knitting elements have been commonly applied in the structural design and pressure control of compression textiles for certain healthcare and therapeutic purposes. In this study, complex weft laid-in stitches design changed the configurations of the studied elastic hoses and exerted significant impact on tension properties and pressure performance. The elastic hoses with laid-in structure involving more tuck loops generated lower tensile energy and elastic hysteresis in stretch. The resulting interfacial pressure thus generated showed a significantly increasing trend and better linear relationship with the raising of tension ratios. The hoses with longer floated inlay yarn increased the fabric extensibility but reduced tensile recovery. The geometric and morphologic deformations in stitches structure may impact the loop densities and compressive forces, thus varying the interfacial pressure generated during stretching. Laplace's law verified the interactive relations among pressure, tension, and curvature radius; however, its accuracy in the evaluation of pressure magnitudes of compression textiles needs to be further studied.