Electrical Conductance of Modified Carbon-Coated Fabrics

The mechanical and electrical characteristics of strain and mechanical stress gauges made by using carbon-coated fabrics and knits, which are designed to be placed on human clothing or in manipulators of robotic devices, are investigated. The tensile limits of layer-structured gauges made on fiber supports using dispersions of graphite and nanotubes are established. The dependences of electrical signal of the gauges on the magnitude of strain and mechanical stress are obtained. The strain and stress sensitivity coefficients are determined.