Investigation of the technical and physical properties of metal composite 1×1 rib knitted fabrics

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to determine electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, antibacterial activity, surface resistivityand bending rigidity properties of 1×1 rib knitted fabrics. For this purpose, copper (Cu), stainless steel (SS) and silver(Ag) wires were commingled with two nylon filaments to produce metal composite yarns. 1×1 rib fabrics were producedby these composite yarns. Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE), antibacterial activity, surface resistivity andbending rigidity of the composite knits were measured. Electromagnetic shielding measurements of samples wereconducted between 1.0–5.0 GHz frequency. Antibacterial activity test was applied according to AATCC 100 standardagainst K. pneumoniae and S. aureus bacteria. Results showed that knitted fabrics generally have lower SE values than10 dB at wale direction. The double layer samples provide higher EMSE than single layer samples for all metal types.Maximum EMSE value was obtained as 57.12 dB. The use of metal wire significantly reduced surface resistivity ofknitted fabrics. Copper composite knitted fabrics showed 99 % antibacterial activity against both bacterial species. Whencompared to the control sample, the use of metal wire significantly increased the rigidity of the samples.