Spacer fabric and use thereof

Abstract

A spacer fabric has two transversely spaced cloth layers. First spacer yarns bridge and transversely connect the cloth layers and are each formed by a core yarn and a helical wrapping made of metal or having a metallic layer. Second spacer yarns also bridge and transversely connect the cloth layers but are of different construction from the first yarns.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A spacer fabric comprising:
 two transversely spaced cloth layers; and   first spacer yarns that bridge and transversely connect the cloth layers and that are each formed by a core yarn and a helical wrapping made of metal or having a metallic layer.   
     
     
         2 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the wrapping is formed of metallic strip having a width and a thickness, a ratio of the width to the thickness bing at least 5:1. 
     
     
         3 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 2 , wherein the strip is flattened wire. 
     
     
         4 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 3 , wherein the wire is of copper or has a coating of copper. 
     
     
         5 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 2 , wherein the strip is wound helically around the core yarn and forms a plurality of spaced turns between which the yarn is exposed. 
     
     
         6 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 5 , wherein the strip covers 30% to 95% of the core yarn. 
     
     
         7 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 second monofilament spacer yarns that also bridge and transversely connect the cloth layers but that are of different construction from the first yarns.   
       wherein the second spacer yarns are monofilaments. 
     
     
         8 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the core yarn is a multifilament yarn. 
     
     
         9 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the cloth layers and first and second spacer yarns are knitted. 
     
     
         10 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein a total thickness of the spacer fabric is between 1 mm and 20 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the core yarn has a fineness between 50 dtex and 150 dtex. 
     
     
         12 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the wrapping has a cross-sectional area of between 200 μm 2  and 10,000 μm 2 . 
     
     
         13 . The spacer fabric defined in  claim 1 , wherein the first spacer yarns have a cross-sectional shape that is not circular. 
     
     
         14 . Use of the spacer fabric of  claim 1  as a heat conduction layer. 
     
     
         15 . The use defined in  claim 14 , wherein the spacer fabric is connected to an electrical component. 
     
     
         16 . The use defined in  claim 14 , wherein the spacer fabric is in a gap between a housing wall and the electrical component. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising the steps of:
 forming first yarns of a multifilament nonconductive core yarn wrapped helically by a conductive and flexible metal strip;   providing second monofilamentary yarns; and   knitting together the first and second yarns into a spacer fabric formed of two transversely spaced cloth layers largely formed of the second yarns and bridged by first spacer yarns formed by the first yarns and by second spacer yarns formed by the second yarns.