Influence of Knitting Structure and Metal Wire Amount on Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Knitted Fabrics

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of knitting structure and metal wire amount on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) of knitted fabrics comparatively. Single jersey, single pique, weft locknit, and cross miss fabrics involving stainless steel or copper wires were produced on a flat knitting machine. A free space measurement technique was used for the EMSE measurements in an anechoic chamber. The variance analysis results of the EMSE values reveal that the effect of knitting structure, metal wire type, metal wire amount, and incident wave frequency is highly significant. It was observed that fabrics with tuck and miss loop structures had higher EMSE values than single jersey fabrics. It was found that single pique fabrics had higher EMSE values than single jersey fabrics that contain twice as much metal wire. It indicates that changing the knitting structure is more effective than changing the metal wire amount.