Investigation of the technical and physical properties of metal composite 1x1 rib knitted fabrics

In this study, it was aimed to determine electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, antibacterial activity, surface resistivity and bending rigidity properties of 1x1 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. 1x1 rib fabrics were produced by these composite yarns. Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE), antibacterial activity, surface resistivity and bending rigidity of the composite knits were measured. Electromagnetic shielding measurements of samples were conducted between 1.0-5.0 GHz frequency. Antibacterial activity test was applied according to AATCC 100 standard against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus bacteria. Results showed that knitted fabrics generally have lower SE values than 10 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 of knitted fabrics. Copper composite knitted fabrics showed 99 % antibacterial activity against both bacterial species. When compared to the control sample, the use of metal wire significantly increased the rigidity of the samples.