The objective of this paper is to study the ability of polymer optical fiber (POF) to be inserted in a knitted fabric and to measure both pressure and friction when walking. Firstly, POF, marketed and in development, have been compared in terms of the required mechanical properties for the insertion of the fiber directly into a knitted fabric on an industrial scale, i.e. elongation, bending rigidity, and minimum bending radius before plastic deformation. Secondly, the chosen optical fiber was inserted inside several types of knitted fabric and was shown to be sensitive to friction and compression. The knitted structure with the highest sensitivity has been chosen for sock prototype manufacturing. Finally, a feasibility study with an instrumented sock showed that it is possible to detect the different phases of walking in terms of compression and friction.
Carbon nanotubes grafted on carbon fibres are used to reinforce composite materials and improve their mechanical properties. The growth of the carbon nanotubes can be directly realized on the surface to obtain entangled carbon nanotubes, and the use of such reinforcements leads to increases in the mechanical properties of the composites. However, in an industrial-scale manufacturing process, different strains will be applied on the carbon nanotubes, such as friction stresses, causing the formation of a transfer film, which is always composed of carbon nanotubes without structural modification. In this study, the properties of composite materials formed by the growth of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibre reinforcement are determined in two different states of the carbon nanotubes: before the wear of the surface (carbon nanotubes entangled on the surface) and after the wear of the surface (carbon nanotubes in a transfer film state). The influence of the state of the carbon nanotubes on the electrical and mechanical properties of the composite materials is studied. No modification of the electrical and mechanical properties is observed, which means that an industrial-scale process that induces the formation of the transfer film does not modify the properties of the composite materials.
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