Abstract
In stabbing events, textile damage analysis (TDA) assists in weapon classification and event reconstruction. Most studies examine perpendicular (90°) penetrations; however, the dynamic nature of stabbing often results in variable impact angles, influencing damage morphology. This study examined how penetration angle affects damage in woven cotton and polyester fabrics using single-edged straight and serrated knives. Each knife was manually used to produce cuts at 0°, 10°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 170°, and 180°. TDA showed that penetration angle strongly influenced fibre distortion, cut length, and morphology. Perpendicular penetrations produced clean cuts with distinct differentiation between the sharp and blunt edges, whereas low-angle and inverted penetrations generated elongated cuts with fibre distortion and irregular blunt-like or serrated features. Greater deformation occurred in polyester than in cotton. These findings demonstrate that penetration angle strongly influences textile damage morphology, introducing variability that can complicate weapon identification and reconstruction in forensic casework.