Characterization and Manufacturing of 3D Warp Interlock Fabrics with Moroccan Sisal Yarns

The availability of the Agave Sisalana plant in Morocco and the use of this plant only in traditional medicine was the subject of the choice of the Moroccan Agave Sisalana plant in the current study for the development of multilayer woven reinforcement. The variability of natural fiber properties requires a detailed approach to the behavior of preforms developed from yarns. In this study, a multiscale analysis is established to understand the complex structure of 3D interlock warp fabrics. At the mesoscopic scale, the textile and mechanical properties of the sisal yarns are identified. The selected twisted sisal yarns are provided by the Moroccan company SONAJUTE. The linear density of twisted sisal yarns measured is around 3300 Tex with an important standard deviation. The architectures of the elementary cell of the different preforms made in the current work are designed using geometrical modeling tools (Wisetex, DB Weave). The Moroccan sisal yarns’ tensile strength presented a challenge for manufacturing 3D interlock warp fabrics from these yarns. Four preforms are manufactured on a loom in the GEMTEX laboratory (Fig. 1). On a macroscopic scale, the structural properties of the 3D warp interlock fabrics are identified according to standard methods. The results revealed that the weight per unit area of the fabric influences the flexural rigidity and tenacity of the 3D warp interlock fabric.