Abstract:

In order to investigate the silver-resistance sensing performance of warp -knitted conductive fabrics silver-plated nylon and spandex or polyester were ured to knit four different fabric structure samples on the tricot warp knitting machine. These four samples were characterized by varied knit strures and elasticity. The change in resistance in the four of fabric samples under tensile condition had been recorded. Analyses of the influence of the microstructure and elasticity proffered by spandex content on the strain-resistance sensing properties had been analyzed. The results show that the silver-plated nylon conductive yarns employed possess good knittability. The resistance of the inelastic warp-knitted fabrec decreases with the application of strain. The piezoresistive response shows an initial declining in resistance, following by a smooth momentum and then acconpaning by an upward transition. The sensitivity increases under small strain. Conversely, the resistance of the elastic warp-knitted conductive fabric increases with the increase of strain at the beginning and then tends to stabilize midway and then reduce in the final phase.  

Key words: warp-knitting, conductive fabric, strain-resistance sensing characteristic, silver-plated yarns