Abstract:

By mixing the five kinds of electrical conductivity fibers, including silver-plating yarn, stainless steel wire, copper wire and copper fiber, with viscose and nylon/spandex core-spun elastic yarn, weft-knitted flexible sensors are knitted on the computerized flat knitting machine. Then the electric conductivity of flexible sensors was tested at different wale and course to discuss the structure and electrical properties of the sensors. The results show the conducting fibers areknittable; by the measuring data of local resistance, it is almost in conformity with the resistance hexagon model, which is applied to the five kinds of conductive fibers and be better used in the theoretical analysis; thus it can guide to develop better weft-knitted flexible sensors with reasonable price and excellent performance.

Key words: conductive fiber, metal filament, weft-knitting, flexible sensor, electric conductivity