Development of Signal Transferring Fabrics Using Plastic Optical Fibers for Defense Personnel and Study their Performance

In this article, an attempt has been made to design and develop four different signal transferring fabrics using plastic optical fibers (POF). The signal transferring and fabrication possibility of these optical fibers are studied and selected optical fibers are made into fabric form by four methods namely (a) sequential work with POF integrated in the fabric, (b) weaving of the POF using hand loom, (c) weaving of the POF using power loom, and (d) weaving of POF as core conductive fabrics. Novel technique for development of core-sheath conductive yarns with optical fiber as core and cotton fibers as sheath using DREF-3 friction spinning system is discussed. The signal transferring efficiency of the handloom, power loom, and sequential integrated woven POF fabrics are analyzed using the microprocessor designed with IRF14F optical receiver for bullet wound detection. The signal loss percentage of these fabrics are studied and reported using the red LED, white light LED (SPL), and laser light LED with input voltage of +5 V. These optical conductive yarns are having good scope for the development of signal transferring garment for defense personnel, telecommunication, and data transferring purpose.