OVERVIEW OF

BRAIDING

It began as a handicraft for the constructionof decorative fabrics. The limitations ofknitting and weaving made braiding animportant method of fabric formation in

textile composite, rope etc.

Introduction

The limitations of the weaving,knitting and stitching processesinclude:

poor shear resistance limited strength in the primary

loading direction inability to produce complex shaped

parts

Limitations of other fabricstructures

Braiding Definition

Braiding is a simple form of narrowfabric construction. It is done byintertwining of yarns in whatever

direction suited the maker's purpose.

3-D braiding

3-D braiding is an interesting concept ofcreating a two dimensional array ofinterconnected 2-D circular braids.

3-D braids are formed on two basic typesof machines which differ only in theirmethod of yarn carrier displacement.• The horn gear type machines offer

improved braid speed over the Cartesianmachines.

• Cartesian machines offer compactmachine size, comparatively lowdevelopment cost and braid architecturalversatility.

3D braiding machines

Braiding UsesBraiding Uses Braiding is more significant for industrial fabrics than

consumer textiles. Braiding is one of the major fabrication methods for

composite reinforcement structures, with increasingapplications of electrical wires and cables, harnesses,hoses, industrial belts and surgical sutures.

Examples of the relatively new application area of braidinginclude reinforcement structures of sporting goods(baseball bats, golf clubs, water skis, snow skis),aerospace and automotive parts.

Because of the special properties, braids can be found(often hidden) in many different applications. Someexamples: Clothes and shoes, candle wicks, sash cords,water ski ropes, mountaineering ropes, yachting ropes,parachute lines, fishing nets, mooring lines, medicalapplications such as catheters or dental floss, over braidedhigh-pressure tubes, ground cables or harnesses