Development of metallic core-spun yarns and hybrid conductive fabrics for electromagnetic shielding applications

Abstract

Various metallic core-sheath yarns have been prepared and conductive fabrics are woven using sample loom for electromagnetic shielding applications. The core-sheath yarn is prepared using stainless steel and polyester slivers with different proportions of SS fibre content. The conductive fabrics are produced with different warp and weft patterns. The shielding effectiveness (SE) of fabric has been tested in the frequency range from 50 MHz to 1.5 GHz according to ASTM D4935. The test results reveal that the fabric with cell type structures shows better shielding effectiveness (SE) than the plain weave structures. The increase in metal content does not influence the SE of fabric having conductive fibres in one direction. However, fabric having conductive fibres in warp and weft directions shows improved shielding effectiveness. When the grid size is increased, the shielding effectiveness is decreased. It is concluded that the fabric with small grid size and cell type weave structures could provide effective shielding as compared to plain woven fabric in low frequency range.