Influence of the Structure of Footwear Upper and Lining Materials on Their Electrical Properties

Abstract

Protective footwear for occupational use conducts static electricity through the upper, linings, insole and outsole into the ground. Footwear must be made from appropriate material to reduce the possibility of electrocution and other electricity-related incidents. In this study the influence of footwear materials for the upper and lining components’ structure on their electrical properties was investigated. For investigations leather and various textile laminates were chosen. The thickness of leather coating, composition of textile laminates, the upper-lining system, and relative humidity of the environment on electrical resistivity changes were evaluated. Leather shows antistatic properties at standard humidity, but its electrical conductivity greatly increases at high humidity due to the presence of polar groups in the leather structure. Textile lining laminates composed of natural and synthetic fibres are insulators, but their systems with leather at high humidity show resistivity values close to antistatic materials. Leather acrylic coating decreases the electrical conductivity of materials.

Properties of textile and leather materials treated with new hybrid SiO2/TiO2/poly(2,2’-bithiophene) nanocomposites

“…The results showed lower resistivity values for textiles (3V 2 ) as compared to leather surface (L2). If we compare with literature data which show that the electrical resistivity of leather is lower by more than two orders of magnitude (10 2 Ω) than of textile [12], we can conclude that the treatment with new nanocomposites makes the two materials similar in terms of electric properties.…”

“…For textile materials synthetic fibres have more static problems compared with natural fibres. Hydrophilic chemical materials and moisture drastically decrease textile and leather resistivity with effect on static electric charges dissipation rate increase and conductive properties development for 95% humidity [12]. There are few studies regarding the functionalization of textile and leather materials by using hybrid TiO 2 / SiO 2 /poly(2,2'-bithiophene) nanocomposites and the influence of treatment technologies on their surface properties.…”

Panorama of natural fibers applied in Brazilian footwear: materials and market

“…Regarding the materials applied inside of footwear, the insole normally retains moisture and heat, which can cause the proliferation of bacteria or fungus [30,31]. Consequently, lining footwear is generally made of textiles, which must have the capacity of draining the moisture and evaporate the water to the upper part of shoes.…”

Investigation of the Physical Properties of a Fabric with a Conductive Fibre

“…Other research into electromagnetic shielding investigates the content and placing of a conductive component [9,11,13], geometric structure of a fabric [10,12,14]), humidity of textile [7,12], dependence between electric conductivity and EMSE (electromagnetic shielding effectiveness). Fabric porosity has a very big effect on the shielding factor.…”

“…It increases shielding effectiveness of fabrics [8]. Electrical properties of fabrics depend not only on nature and structure but also on moisture accumulation capability [12]. The effect of the diameter and content of a conductive fibre on shielding performance was studied and it was found that greater thickness of a conductive fibre gives better shielding values in higher frequency ranges, but stitch density does not affect shielding performance in the frequency range of 300-3000MHz [13].…”