Is Carpet More Conductive Than Tile

Conductive carpet tile is often specified incorrectly for use around energized equipment in call centers 911 dispatch areas flight towers and server rooms.

Is carpet more conductive than tile.

The adhesive did not in any way alter the resistance or conductivity of the flooring material. Static dissipative tile measuring less than 1 0 x 10 e8 should be used in these applications. To confirm that a flooring material meets electrical specs for the specific application test surface. If point to point resistance is lower than the point to ground resistance which again would happen if the adhesive were not as conductive as the tile there may be cause for safety concerns.

If the flooring material is more conductive than the underlying adhesive electrostatic esd charges will remain on the floor surface potentially creating a safety hazard for people walking on. Some conductive carpet products measure as low as 2 5 x 10e4 25 thousand ohms or lower 40 times more conductive than recommended safety standards. Esd flooring systems are referred to as static conductive more conductive or static dissipative not as conductive but will dissipate charges in an orderly fashion. The underside of the shadowfx carpet tile backing is pre coated with a conductive carbon loaded material.

2 our conductive precoat binds the yarn tufts to the primary backing and provides electrical continuity across all tufts. Tile and carpet disadvantages. Static dissipative floors have more electrical resistance than conductive floors i e they slow the flow of electricity. United s esd carpet tiles broadloom is true esd conductive carpeting not mere off the shelf carpeting sometimes marked as anti static.

It did however raise the overall system resistance making it appear as if the floor were more resistant less conductive than it actually is. As we know electricity always seeks its fastest path to ground. Explosives handling is a special case. Static conductive true esd carpeting provides reduced maintenance cost finally no more esd floor waxes or strippers as well as ergonomic comfort and outstanding sound deadening capabilities.

This conductive coating draws static charges downward from the walking surface through the thickness of the tile. If the floor is more conductive than the underlying adhesive charges may remain on the surface of the floor creating a potential safety hazard. Conductive tile is required in these areas. I would consider sd material to be the minimum requirement per ansi esd s7 1 2005 via ansi esd s20 20 2007.

Faa 019f section 4 1 3 3 2 for instance contains a safety warning saying conductive materials shall not be used for floor mats carpeting or other flooring where personnel may be in. 1e06 ω or 1 meg ω to 1e09 ω. Items dropped on tile floors are more likely to break when compared with items dropped on carpeted floors.