Article Mechanical properties of polyvinylchloride-coated fabrics processed

This article presents the mechanical properties of polyvinylchloride-coated fabrics with Precontraint technology. First, groups of off-axial tests are carried out, and the corresponding strength criteria are discussed. Then, the biaxial tests are carried out on the material without initial loading and the material after cyclic loading, and the corresponding stress– strain surfaces are studied. Finally, the effects of temperature on the mechanical properties are studied. Results show that this material is typically orthotropic and its strength can be predicted by the Tsai–Hill strength criterion. The differences between the mechanical properties of the warp and the weft are not significant, because the Precontraint technology used in the processing reduces significantly the discrepancies, compared with common plain woven fabrics. The material without initial loading is nonlinear and viscoelastic, and after cyclic loading it becomes linear and its stiffness increases. The biaxial tensile behaviors are affected by biaxial loading significantly, and then different constitutive relations should be conducted regarding to different service conditions. With temperature increasing, the tensile strength and the elastic modulus gradually decreases, and the breaking strain increases