Study on the knittability of high-performance fiber by using image processing approach

In order to investigate the knittability of high-performance fiber, the method that the curvature radius of the needle loops is employed to investigate the knitting action of high-performance fibre. The carbon fiber and the UHMW-PE fiber were knitted into the plain knitted structure and 1 × 1 rib structure with three different DSC values. Images of the knitting action were taken by using a digital camera, then the images were treated and analyzed, and the geometrical equation of the curve of the needle loop was fitted by using a polynomial function and the curvature radius of needle loop was calculated. The results of the experiments indicate that the material and the DSC value are two important influence factors. These results show that the method is effective for investigating the knittability of high-performance fibre.