National Textile University

M.S. Advance Clothing And Fashion

SUMMARY TITLE

EFFECT OF CONDUCTIVE YARN ON THERMAL

PROPERTRIES OF SMART TEXTILE

ERUM RIAZ
2020-MSACF-6054

Date of Submission: 3-30-2021

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 INTRODUCTION
Smart Textile and its importance

Smart textile / E-Textile has become the most famous area of textile right now. Advanced material
and fiber technological development leads smart textiles as an electronics, Information technology,
defense, design, health sector etc. [1] Novel properties of clothing having vital functions like
adaptation to envoirment ,movement, feelings increased on daily basis and leads to the “ Electronic
or Smart Textiles”. Conventional textiles have become insufficient after recent advancement in this
field and increasing demand of people. Smart textiles can be easily defined as textiles that can sense
and react to environmental conditions, such as mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, or other
sources. [1] Textile product which is able to perform a special function will be considered as smart
textile. Design making of new functional smart clothes with new fiber and textile materials, and
electronic components make the perfection of smart textiles possible. Intelligent clothes are mostly
worn like ordinary clothing according to the designed application. [9] In the current era, smart
capabilities are being merged with virtual creations, this conductive properties of fibers and yarns
technology has been combined into new major fields, including intelligent textiles. Intelligent and
smart textiles are now being produced. [10]

Smart Textile Classification

Smart Textiles would be served as a major reason of increasing benefit to mankind due to integration
of level of intelligence and lead to vital role in cost savings. It can be classified into three portions:

• Active Smart Textiles:

Textiles which adapt their functionality to changing environment automatically. Active smart
textiles respond to stimuli in taking from external sources like shape memory, chameleonic,
water-resistant and vapor permeable, heat storage pressure, electric current or environmental
factors. [2]
• Passive Smart Textiles:
Smart textiles, which provide additional feature in a passive mode. Passive textiles are sensor
based and they are able to measure or sense the environment/user. Wide range of capabilities,
including anti-microbial, anti-odor, anti-static, bullet proof are the other examples [2]
• Ultra Smart Textiles:

Extreme condition of e-textiles is able to sense, respond and adapt their doings to the given
circumstances. Very smart fabric textiles, also known as super smart fabric textiles involving
communication, sensing, artificial intelligence, biology and other high-tech disciplines. [2]

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Smart Wearable Clothing

Emerging area of textile including electrical heating and sensory properties without compromising
the comfort that are being worn next to skin, Wearable textiles is majorly growing. Among smart
textiles, heating clothing that would intend to made for intensive cold areas for stimulation of blood
circulation.

Body temperature plays a vital role in performing the important activities of the human body, that’s
why it is maintained at a constant rate and value. Smart heating apparel has become more and more
complex during the past recent years, focusing on assurance of thermal protection when the user
stays in intensive cold environment with a considerable amount of time and on maintaining a regular
thermal comfort in the specified people with health problems. [3]

Electrical Conductive Textile Materials

Electrically conductive textiles are used as interconnection between the different components. Apart
from electronic components that somehow associated with smart textiles, there are a bunch of
materials which pass electricity, these are the conductors. Usually they cannot be categorized as
sensors or actuators but, due to their conductive nature, they are useful in electronically smart
applications. Due to their conducting current nature they are very useful in making sensors and
actuators to transfer the data. Silver and copper are the most conducting metals renowned in the
world. Carbon has a good conductivity used in pure form as well but also mixes in other material to
achieve different level of conductivity for example silicone. Specialized polymers that are conductive
are organic in nature which is meant to transport electricity. [4]

Process of conversion of electrical energy into heat is known as electrical heating. Heating is caused
by the element present inside every electrical heater are actually know as a resistor, and principally
they works on the Joule’s law of heating. The electronic component may be differently connected in
parallel and series circuits. Electronic parts that are fixed on a unit path, so that same current flows
through all components are said to as series circuitry. [5]

SUMMARY

Recently, useful products in a way have been emerged by the urgent developments in smart textiles
to meet demands of human through incorporation of smart yarns along with electronics, developed
textile gadgets involve in different areas such as space, medical, military, industry, etc. [1] Several
studies confirmed that cool environment declines the work efficiency, including working at desks
consistently. This is due to the restriction of blood flow in the hands or feet toes where arteries and
veins make junction in a form of minute capillaries. The shortcomings of discomfort that have raised
in cold weather could be fulfilled by wearing clothes with additional heating features and in this way
people kept their body warm to gain comfort. Similarly, the use of additional resistive textile heating
element it could help people who have inheritably issues with constantly cold body parts like hands
or feet or who need to stay in cool conditions indoors for a long time. Usually in such conditions
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knitting clothing are the best to give comfort with warm features. It is not always possible to gain a
comfort and keep microclimate appropriate with conventional knitwear optimally. The integration of
electronic component on textile substrate has open the new horizon for the application of smart
textiles. Electronic components are becoming the part of a fabric day by day due to the recent
advancements in e-textiles.

Employees who are seated at room temperature, they observed coolness of their hand at 20–22°C,
and hence, work efficiency decreases by 5 to 15% with the decrement of 2 degrees compared with the
indoor microclimate of 24°C. Recently, the application of various electronic components and devices
into textiles has become more common to give additional features. The integration of conductive
elements can be done through various textile fields like knitting, sewing, weaving or printing. The
textiles must be breathable, provide dexterity and keep its form while it is being worn. It must be kept
in mind that the e-heating textile has to be regarded as an electrical gadget and more importantly to
lay down precautionary measures such as: the regulation the temperature levels so that maximum
surface temperature must not be exceeding the human safety level, consequences of wearing the
heating element in direct contact with the skin; the product should be washable; it is necessary also to
provide electrical insulation, etc. [7] Sensor retain the natural texture globally its targeted as an
major approach. Many Smart applications in healthcare, the internet of things (IoT), smart city
management, robotics, etc., have been established around the world. High response variation in
resistance over the time is the problem occur with these devices. Ability to communicate with other
devices, conduct energy, transform into other materials and protect the wearer from environmental
hazards are the several potential applications of Smart Textile [9].

In the previous researches, the paper they had published presented the investigation of effect of
electrically conductive yarns on thermo-mechanical properties of knitted fabrics. Further they had
taken into accounts some other parameters like the manufacturing methods, binding points or
interstices spaces and contact pressure on heating as well. Heating level is presented as a result of a
function of splitting of supply terminals. Then heating and cooling temperatures has been studied on
applied potential and made comparison with the non-application of voltage. Polyamide silver coated
yarns have tendency to decay its surfaces so this phenomenon had also taken in to consideration.
Equipment that was used is Thermal imaging camera for thermal images of fabric knitted in plain, rib
and interlock. Generally, the fabrics knitted with silver coated conductive yarns with the yarns that
have stretch recovery can produce enough heat to warm up the body. These fabrics in the form of
gadget and could be used as personal heating garments in relation to the applied voltage. Highly
targeted and achieved temperatures differences have also analyzed in their proposed research work.
[6]

Most desired fabric constructions are the knitting fabrics when it comes next to skin wearable
electronics due to their stretch ability and comfort properties. However, elasticity is a property that
may be problematic with reliable electronic properties which may led to a challenge that is the
development of knitted structures with different elasticity levels throughout the fabric. In this way,
the conductive parts can be stiff, while the non-functional part is highly stretchable. Another
challenge has to be addressed from the material side. Many interesting functional materials, like

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chromic materials, piezoelectric, or hydrogels changing volumes, exist, but in a form that is not
applicable via knitting. Here, advances in functional and smart fibres and yarns have to be made. This
challenge will only be overcome by novel materials adaption by knitting machineries.

The embroidery sector must be consider as a good example, in which machines can process LEDs
and incorporate them with embroidered conductive yarn automatically. [8] Production and use of
metallic yarns and threads can easily track back to the dawn of human civilization. Meanwhile
transportation of received information from these devices to the processing part in the fabric and for
the transportation of current between electrical sources and electronic devices conductive yarns are
majorly used for it. [10] Study research in this paper targeted two major factors: the electrical
resistance of the silver-coated conductive yarns decreases as temperature rises; due to woolen fabric
heating overlapping of conductive yarns extend which results in decrease of contact resistance [11].
Wash ability standard of smart textile is targeted / focused in this research paper, and to co relate the
available textile test with smart textile washing to observe their performance change. Heating
garments having some good properties that could be majorly used in physical therapy and body
warming fields. Majorly highlighted indication in this paper is Wash ability of smart textile
structures have to be addressed to make them more reliable in market. [12]

REFERENCES