The experimental research on the stab resistance of warp-knitted spacer fabric

In view of the single structure of soft stab-resistant body armor at home and abroad and the difficulty in balancing the stab resistance and the portability, low-twist ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers and polyester monofilaments were chosen to produce stab-resistant warp-knitted spacer fabrics. In this paper, quasi-static stab tests were conducted to study the relationships among the stab resistance and fabric density, thickness and the spacer structure. The stab-resistant characteristic of warp-knitted spacer fabric was analyzed by the curve of penetration force versus penetration depth. The experimental results showed that the thickness and the density of warp-knitted spacer fabric and the compressive property of the spacer layer structure were the main influencing factors on the stab resistance. Three-layer composite structure of the warp-knitted spacer fabric could resist the penetration by stages during the penetration process and attained the purpose of multiple protection through the knife self-locking, energy dissipation and friction damping.