AUTOMOTIVE TEXTILES

PRESENTED BY ABHINAV THAKUR

INTRODUCTION
What are technical textiles? Textile materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and properties rather than their aesthetic and decorative characteristics. Why automotive textiles are technical textiles?

Automotive Textiles Market

Global consumption is over 4.5lac tons. Largest consumption sector of technical textiles (Rs 5145 Crore in India)
6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 2007-08 2012-13

crores

COMPONENTS
VISIBLE
Seat covers Seat belts Carpets Headliners

CONCEALED
Air bags Tyre cords Hoses and belts Filters

Breakdown of textiles in an average modern car

3.7
8 12

11.3
33

carpets upholstrey preassembled interiors tyres safety belts

14

18

air bags others

SEAT COVERS

Properties requiredStrength Resistance to sunlight (UV) Abrasion resistance Reduced flammability Odor free Anti static Soil resistance

Composition of seats
It is a tri laminate consisting of Face fabric Foam (foam density 2645kg/m3 ) Scrim lining for back

Quality control and testing of seat covers

Accelerated ageing Abrasion resistance Color fastness Flammability Strength Resistance to micro organisms Surface resistivity Soil resistant Fogging odour

Accelerating ageing standards

Standard Temperature RH% Wavelength Exposure hours 185 354 250 Minimum requirement on grey scale 3 3 3

SES N3295 HES D6506 Mahindra/ TSL 2100 G

89+-3 89+-3 89+-3

50+-5 50+-5 50+-5

300-400 300-400 340

SEAT BELTS
Multilayer woven narrow fabrics Maximum yarn packing in a given area for maximum strength HT PET yarns (320 ends of 1100 dtex or 260 ends 1670 dtex and weft 550dtex) Softer and flexible along length Rigidity along width

Quality requirements for seat belts

Width BS standards-46mm for adults, 38mm for children having weight 18-36kg and 25mm for 9-18kg. Static load bearing capacity upto1500kg Extensibility up to 25-30% Abrasion resistance Rubbing fastness Microbial resistance Light and heat resistance Finished product having resistance to fastening and unfastening 10,000 times

AIR BAGS
How air bags work There is a central Air Bag control unit which monitors the sensors in the vehicle. When the requisite threshold reaches, ACU will trigger the ignition of gas generator propellant.

Fabrics for airbags

High bursting strength Hot gases must not penetrate the fabric Flame retardancy Reduced skin abrasion Compact folding ability

Air bag fabric quality requirement

High bursting strength and be capable of being folded up into a confined space for over 10 years without deterioration. Some tests require 75% property retention after 4000 hrs at 90-1200C, the equivalent of 10 yrs. Cold cracking resistance down to -400C.

HEADLINERS
It is a multilayer construction Decorative face fabric PU foam Chopped glass mat Semi rigid PU foam (core material) Chopped glass mat Non-woven scrim fabric All layers are hot pressed with thermo plastic powder/film

Headliner Requirements
Important requirements are Light-weight, thin profile Dimensional stability Aesthetically pleasing and soft touch Anti soiling property

CARPETS
There are about 3.5-4.5 m2 of carpet in each car. Carpets tufted are mainly developed from bulked continuous filament nylon yarns whereas needle-punched are mainly from polyester or polypropylene.

Carpet structure
Layer
Top decorative layer Thermo formic layer Acoustic layer

Material used
Tufted nylon or polyester Polyethylene powder Heavy layer of shoddy fibers

PARCEL SHELVES
Requirements UV resistance Thermal resistance Polypropylene needle-punched fabrics used, are typically of 210g/m2 weight to 298g/m2.

BONNET LINERS
Main constituent is shoddy fabric laminated on both sides by non woven fabric Non woven of polyester or polypropylene is used Side facing the engine must be resistant to fluids like oil, fuel, wind screen cleaning fluids

HOSES
Cotton was replaced with synthetic fibers due to higher strength, more durable flex and abrasion resistance and better rot resistance. High-tenacity yarns allow weight reduction and less bulk.

BELTS
Requirements High tensile strength Excellent shock resistance Low extensibility

TYRE CORDS
Unidirectional arrangement of cords sometimes with a small number of weft threads. Formed by twisting the yarns together. Radial tyre consists of 4-7% textile weight of its original weight.

Essential requirements
High toughness High tenacity Thermal stability Low elongation Low moisture regain Strong bond formation with rubber

Materials used in cords

Mainly nylon Polyester was earlier used but declining these days Steel and glass fibers in limited area.

CABIN AIR FILTERS

Non woven are used which work as Mechanical filtering the particles Impart electrostatic charge to fibers Use of activated carbon Filter non woven is used in pleated form. It should be odor free, resistant to micro organisms and extreme temperatures.

OTHER APPLICATIONS
Noise control units Sun visors Boot lining Dash board Tarpaulins

REFERENCES
Handbook of technical textiles, Edited by

A R Horrocks and S C Anand www.technotex.gov.in www.technicaltextile.net Textiles in transportation, by NITRA

Shivendra Parmar and Tanveer Malik, Application of textiles in

automobiles

THANKS