Production and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the knitted stainless steel/polyester fabrics

摘要

This paper describes a study on the development of stainless steel/polyester knitted fabrics for electromagnetic shielding applications. To facilitate knitting of stainless steel wires and to reduce the material cost, initially blended yarns of staple stainless steel and polyester fibers were fabricated by using the ring and open-end friction spinning methods. The stainless steel/polyester produced by ring and open-end friction spinning methods, and their knitted fabrics made from 14G flat knitting machine were developed successfully. Using a coaxial transmission line holder set-up, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) of various knitted fabrics was carried out in the frequency range from 30 kHz to 3000 MHz. The variations of EMSE with the knitted structures, yarn type, and the blend ratio of stainless steel fiber and wire to the polyester fiber in the yarns are discussed. The results indicate that the proposed knitted fabric having higher EMSE can be used for the purpose of EMI shielding, as well as for some electronic and electrical applications.