Electrostatic discharge properties of stainless steel/polyester woven fabrics

The primary object of this research is to develop a new material for avoidi ng electrostatic discharge, which can be used not only in home textiles, el ectrical and electronic devices, and subsystems, but also in clean-room app lications such as the pharmaceutical and optical industries. This paper the refore presents studies leading to the development of conductive woven fabr ics to attenuate electrostatic discharge. In general, most man-made fabrics are subjected to electric conductivity and electrostatic discharges. To ov ercome problems caused by such conditions, stainless steel/polyester woven fabrics made on a handloom have been developed successfully. Stainless stee l staple fibers are incorporated into these fabrics as conductive fillers t o promote the electrostatic discharge properties of the woven fabric. To fa cilitate weaving and reduce material costs, blended yams comprising stainle ss steel/polyester fibers are produced on a ring spinning system, Attenuati on of the electrostatic discharge (ESD) for various woven fabrics is determ ined by an ESD immunity tester in a voltage range of 4-8 kV. Variations Of ESD attenuation of the woven fabric structures, the number of layers, and t he blend ratio of stainless steel yams are described. Typical electrostatic discharge voltage outputs and test methods for ESD attenuation are also re ported.