Heating behaviors of metallic textile structures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of “electrically conductive fabrics”. The primer applications that import electrical conductivity properties to textiles and clothing are summarized. Also the heated fabric panels produced by steel yarns are evaluated. Single and multi‐ply steel fabrics are applied to electrical current and their heating behaviors are observed and compared.Design/methodology/approach – The integration of electronic components with textiles to create very smart structures is getting more and more attention in recent years. Most of the textile materials are electrical insulators. Hence, various types of fibers and fabrics having reasonably good electrical conductivity are required especially for electronically functional apparel products. The textile‐based materials being flexible and easily workable are the most preferred one in such cases. In this study, the steel yarns are placed in the fabric construction owing to their flexible characteristics. The heati...