Effective Material Approach for Simulating Knitted Bowtie Antennas

Textile antennas offer a promising solution for the integration of communication and sensor functions into wearable systems. Their flexibility, lightweight and seamless compatibility with garments make them ideal for wearable technology and medical monitoring applications. This paper investigates the characterization and simulation of a bowtie antenna made from knitted textile structures with hybrid yarns. These yarns, which consist of metallic microwires combined with textile threads, exhibit unique electromagnetic properties. The aim is to create a comprehensive simulation model using the effective material approach to reduce computational complexity while maintaining accuracy. Compared to a full three-dimensional simulation of the knitted structure, the effective material approach significantly reduces computational time and effort. Practical measurements were carried out in the frequency range from 3.3 GHz to 4.9 GHz to determine the dielectric properties of the materials.