Felt having conductivity gradient

• Main Authors: CHILD ANDREW D, DEANGELIS ALFRED R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.04.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BRAIDING; COTTON-WOOL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS,NON-WOVEN FABRICS; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; KNITTING; LACE-MAKING; LAUNDERING; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARYMATERIAL; NON-WOVEN FABRICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS,FABRICS, FEATHERS, OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS; TRIMMINGS; WADDING; WALL, FLOOR OR LIKE COVERING MATERIALS, e.g. LINOLEUM,OILCLOTH, ARTIFICIAL LEATHER, ROOFING FELT, CONSISTING OF AFIBROUS WEB COATED WITH A LAYER OF MACROMOLECULARMATERIAL

The present invention relates to a process for making an electromagnetically conductive textile, having a conductivity gradient through the thickness of the fabric, comprising the steps of (a) forming a knit, woven or nonwoven fabric characterized by (i) a variation in fiber surface area per unit of volume, through the thickness of the fabric; or (ii) a variation in susceptibility of the fibers to coating, through the thickness of the fabric; and (b) applying a conductive coating to fibers in the fabric, to create a conductivity gradient through the thickness of the fabric.