The Influence of Weft Tension on the Radial Tensile Properties of Woven Tubular Fabrics

摘要

Bilayer tubular woven structure has proven an effective approach in overcoming the radial compliance mismatch between native arteries and vascular grafts.One of the key parameters in developing a bilayer tubular woven structure is the diameter difference between the inner and outer layer.In this study weft tension was used as a control parameter to fabricate a bilayer tubular fabric with different diameters.The effects of weft tension on the tensile properties in radial direction of the tubular fabric were investigated.For this purpose,the tension device of the shuttle in weaving machine was modified to make the weft tension controllable.In addition to the weft tension,weft yarns with different tensile moduli were used to further enhance the control of radial tensile properties of the tubular fabrics.Test results show that weft tension has obvious influence on diameter and radial extension of tubular fabrics,and difference in diameter of bilayer structure can be produced by controlling weft tension.