ABSTRACT
Braids are produced from single yarns as well as from a collection of parallel yarns, termed strands, or even from flat tapes. The products are invariably of narrow width and may come in the form of flat bands with two firm selvedges or as tubes, either hollow or stuffed with a core material. Braided products have been traditionally used as decorative trimmings and functional elastic components in apparel goods. They are also used in demanding technical applications, such as for shielding wires from electromagnetic interference or for absorbing very high impactful energy in the form of ropes, fishing lines, parachute cords, etc., and also for satisfying fairly modest and less demanding functions in household goods in the form of draw threads for curtains, wash lines, or even the ubiquitous shoelace (Brunschweiler, 1953, 1954a; Ko, 1987). In view of their structural peculiarities, braids can absorb the high energy of deformation and can take very complex contours without putting any high demand on the constituent yarns, strands, or tapes. Indeed, as opposed to knitting and weaving processes that impose very high and exacting standards on yarn quality primarily for withstanding the strains of the conversion process itself, the braiding process makes no such demands, and choice of yarn is governed entirely by the functional requirements of the end use.
