Development of textile-based transmission lines using conductive yarns and ultrasonic welding technology for e-textile applications

Abstract

The development of the conductive transmission lines is crucial part for the creation of wearable electronic systems. The current focus of this study is to create signal transmission lines resistant to environmental effects. To do this, an ultrasonic welding technology has been used in order to analyze its suitability for e-textile transmission line manufacturing. Two groups of yarns, namely, stainless steel yarns and silver-plated yarns were used along with polyester fabrics. The used yarns were also varied according to their linear density and electrical conductivity. Based on the experimental results, while stainless steel yarns were merely affected in terms of conductivity change, silver-plated yarns found to be less suitable for ultrasonic welding technology. However, silver-plated yarns with higher linear density showed satisfactory results at moderate working conditions.