This paper reports a study to develop a spinning method of open-end frictio
n core-spun yarn (OFCY) and its conductive fabric for shielding the electro
static discharge and electromagnetic applications, To facilitate weaving of
stainless steel (SW) and to reduce the material cost, initially OFCY yam w
as made from SW core and polyester (PET) and stainless steel staple (SS) fi
bers, produced by a DREF III open-end friction spinning method. The core-sp
un yams were woven into a variety of woven structures, which are made from
semi-automatic loom, successfully. The conductive fabrics could be suitable
for shielding home electronic and electrical appliances, cellular phones,
and digital devices from electromagnetic fields. The variations of EMSE, an
d ESD of the woven fabric structure, and blend ratio of stainless steel yar
ns are also described. It has been shown that the EMSE and ESD attenuation
of the woven fabric can be tailored in a number of ways including fabric st
ructure, density, and the amount of conductive filler material. (C) 2001 Pu
blished by Elsevier Science Ltd.