WELCOME TO THE PRESENTATION ON

TECHNICAL TEXTILES IN
AUTOMOBILE:
A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
BY
Joy Sarkar
TECHNICAL TEXTILES &
MOBILTECH

According to the Textile Institute, Textile materials

and products manufactured primarily for their
technical and performance properties rather than
their aesthetic and decorative characteristics. are
called technical textiles.
Technical textiles that are used in this automotive or
transport sector are called MOBILTECH.
Mobiltech today covers not only isolation and safety
aspect but also focuses on comfort and style. The
customers look for aesthetically pleasing interiors, great
comfort and fuel economy.
AUTOMOBILE TEXTILE

Automobile is the lifeline of present society. Trade, Industry and Commercial activity
extremely dependent on this sector. Therefore, it is no exception that tremendous
growth and development is taking place in this sector. This automotive sector
consumes a lot of textile materials that may be visible or concealed in automobile.
The global consumption of textiles used in automobile industry is estimated to be
over 4.5 lakh tonnes.

Textiles in transport are classified as technical because of the very high

performance specifications and special properties required. e.g. seat coverings are
not easy to remove for cleaning and are fixed in place in many automobiles and
must last the lifetime of the car without ever being washed. In addition, they have to
withstand much higher exposure to day light and damaging ultraviolet radiations
and must have stringent safety requirements such as flame retardancy.
AUTOMOBILE TEXTILE
ABOUT AUTOMOBILE TEXTILES

Automobile segment of Technical Textile products includes

applications in automotive and automotive
components( Including aircrafts and railways)
The automobile products can be broadly classified into two
categories:
1. Visible Components
2. Concealed Components
The visible components include: Seat upholstery, carpets,
seat belts, head liners etc.
The concealed components include: Noise Vibration and
Harness (NVH) components, tyre cords, liners etc.
TEXTILES IN A CAR
GROWTH OF AUTOMOBILE
TEXTILES
The growth of automotive textiles is very good in last decades.
There are few driving forces behind the growth of automotive textiles.
These forces could be:
Improvement in the standard of living of people resulting in the
greater demand for personal vehicles.
A car interior has become more and more important as people are
spending more time in cars.
For better fuel economy, the trend is towards lightweight vehicles
replacing metal by fibre composites in most of the applications.
More safety devices in the vehicles in the form of air bags and seat
belts.
Eco logical reforms for recycling of used cars have increased the
amount of textiles in an automobile.
Apart from interiors and safety, textiles have also come up with the
solution to engineering problems such as tyre reinforcement,
acoustics protection, gas and air filtration.
MARKET OF MOBILTECH

(SOURCE: DRA REPORT); VOLUME 000 T; VALUE US$ mn

AN EXAMPLE DOMESTIC MARKET IN
INDIA
(2010-12)
ITEMS
Rs.
(Crores)
Nylon tyre cord 2,425
Seat belt webbing 22
Air bag 35
Car body covers 17
Seat covers (fabric/Upholstery) 868
Automotive interior (Carpets) 290
Headliners 59
Insulation felts 494
Sunvisors/Sunblinds 154
Helmets 759
Airlines disposable 5
Webbing for aircrafts 5
TEXTILES IN AVERAGE
MODERN CAR
Textile Component Percentage
Carpets( with car mats) 33
Upholstery 18
Pre-assembled interior 14
components
Tyres 12
Safety Belts 8
Airbags 3.7
Others 9.4
Total 100
 AUTOMOBILE TEXTILE
ATION AREAS & PREREQUISITES OF AUTOMOTIVE TEXT
Sl. Application areas Main performance Fibres used
No. prerequisites
1 Upholstery Abrasion & UV resistance, Polyester, wool, nylon,
attractive design & texture acrylic

2. Tyre cords & fabrics Tensile strength, adhesion to Polyester, Nylon, HT *

rubber, fatigue resistance rayon, steel & aramid
3. Composite Stiffness, strength, light weight, Glass, carbon, aramid,
energy absorbing, thermal stability HT polyester &
polyethylene
4. Rubber reinforcement Heat resistance, tensile strength, HT polyester, aramid
(hoses, belts, air dimensional stability, adhesion to
springs) rubber, chemical resistance
5. Seat belts Tensile strength, abrasion and UV HT polyester
resistance
6. Airbags Ability to withstand high Nylon - 6,6, nylon - 4,6
temperature inflation gases,
durability to storage in compacted
state over many years
7. Carpets Light fastness, mould ability Nylon, polyester,
AUTOMOBILE TEXTILE
APPLICATION AREAS

1. Car body Covers 10.Sun visors/ Sun blinds

2. Seat Cover Fabric 11.Helmets
3. Nylon Tyre Cord Fabric 12.Space Suits
4. Seat belt webbing 13.Data wear
5. Air bag 14.Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV)
6. Interior Carpets 15.Tarpaulins
7. Interior design 16.Spray Guards
8. Headliners 17.Flexible intermediate Bulk
9. Insulation felts containers
1.CAR BODY COVERS
ABOUT CAR BODY COVERS

Car body covers are used to cover the car if no cover space for
parking (Parking Garage) is available

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

The car body cover is a 100% technical textile product based on the
raw material used.
The car body covers are made of a variety of fabrics including
canvas, HDFE, PVC reinforced cotton material and Nylon.
2.SEAT COVER FABRICS
ABOUT SEAT COVER FABRICS

Woven seat cover is one of the

important contributors of technical
textile in an automobile
With gradual improvement in vehicle
models and increased emphasis on
luxury and comfort, the seat cover
market has witnessed uptrend in the
market.
Seat covers are made from cotton,
vinyl, velvet and leather.

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

The fabric used for the

manufacturing of seat covers is
woven on looms.
2.SEAT COVER FABRICS

RAW MATERIALS AND MACHINERY

Seat covers are made from cotton, vinyl, velvet and leather.
The cotton or synthetic yarn is woven on power looms to produce
fabric which is further stentered on stentering machine to smoothen
out the fabric (remove bumps).
The fabric is further laminated to provide desired protection
characteristics.
The fabric is further finished as per the desired specifications of
automobile Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
3.INTERIOR CARPETS
All passenger cars have company fitted
carpets
The carpets are laid in the cabin and
parcel shelf at the back
The carpets are primarily non-woven
textile material
The usage of carpets varies based on the
interior designs which vary across car
models.
3.INTERIOR CARPETS
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

The automotive interior carpets are non-woven technical textiles,

made primarily from polypropylene fibres.
The carpet is laid on the vehicle floor above which rubber mats are
placed.
The desired characteristics of automobile interior carpets typically
are as given below:
1. High durability
2. High abrasion resistance
3. Tensile strength-Warp around 50 KGF and Weft around 45
KGF
4. Low in-flammability
5. Good compression recovery
The fabric is around 500 GSM with a thickness of about 3mm.
4.INTERIOR DESIGN
The color, texture and overall appearance of
the car interior, especially the seat, has
become extremely important in attracting a
potential buyers attention. There is only one
opportunity to make a first impression. The
textile designer must be able to produce
innovative interior appearances which reflect
or even set current fashion trends, social and
economic moods and customer lifestyles
Flat woven fabrics account for about half of car
seat fabric in Europe but only about a quarter
in the USA and Japan. Woven velours are the
most important type in the USA, and tricot knit
the most important in Japan.
Circular knits are increasing in Europe, and
woven velours increasing further in the USA.
Worldwide, designs are becoming more
sophisticated with increased use of more
colors and Jacquard-type designs. In Japan
printing on to tricot knit has been attributed to
a need for a more economical alternative to
5.NYLON TYRE CORD
FABRIC
The nylon tyre cord is prepared from
high tenacity continuous filament yarn
by twisting and plying.
There are two main types of nylons used
as tyre cords, they are-
1. Nylon-6
2. Nylon-6,6
The characteristics of nylon-6 and nylon-
6,6 differ slightly and are controlled by
the manufacturing process, types of
stabilizers and additives used.
Nylon tyre cord fabric provides strength
to a tyre.
The tyre industry consumes nearly 98%
of the total nylon tyre consumption.
The nylon tyre cord fabric is 100%
technical Textile.
Nylon tyre cord fabric gradually replaced
the usage of rayon and polyester cords
in the tyre industry.
5.NYLON TYRE CORD
FABRIC
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

Nylon 6 grey are dipped tyre cord fabrics having

1. High strength
2. Fatigue resistance
3. Impact resistance
4. High adhesion
The tyre cords are generally available with the fabric
characteristics of 930 dtex, 1400 dtex, 1870 dtex, 2100 dtex.
The crirical specifications drive the characteristics such as
breaking strength, elongation, adhesion, ply twists and hot air
shrinkage.
5.NYLON TYRE CORD
FABRIC PROCESS FLOWCHART
6.SEAT BELT WEBBING

Seat belts function as a safety harnesses

which secure the passengers in a vehicle
against harmful movements during
collision or similar incidents.
Seat belts minimize injuries during
accidents.
Seat belts are woven narrow fabric made
from nylon filament yarns or high tensile
polyester filament yarn.
The load specification is an important
criterion for usage vehicles.
6.SEAT BELT WEBBING
In Bangladesh all 4 wheelers drivers and
passengers must use seat belts.
At nearby, the seat belts, which are used in
the cars are called three point which has
single continuous length of webbing. They are
called three point for the reason that these
belts help spread out energy of the moving
body in a accident over the chest, pelvis and
shoulder.
Seat belts are classified as:
1. Static Belts
2. ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) belts.
6.SEAT BELT WEBBING
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

The seat belts are made from nylon filament yarn or

polyester filament yarn which is woven to produce the
webbing pattern.
The linear density of man made yarns must be stuck
between 100 dtex and 3000 dtex, preferably 550-1800
dtex.
The filament linear density should be between 5 dtex
and 30 dtex, preferably 8-20 dtex.
A typical seat belt is made of 320 ends of 1100 dtex
polyester each.
The majority weft yarns prepared from polyester are
550 dtex.
The critical characteristics of the webbing are:
1. Abrasion resistance
2. Resistance to light and heat
3. Capable of being removed and put back in place
easily and good retraction behavior.
4. The load bearing capacity of seat belts is 1500 KGs.
7.AIR BAGS
WHAT IS AIR BAG?
An air is an elastic bag cushion like make up which inflates and deflates
quickly in some stages in certain types of car accidents.
It is a safety device aimed at preventing or minimizing injury to
passenger when such an accident occurred.
Air bags have been efficient to put a stop to severe head and chest
injured in adults when auto mobile accident have occurred .
Air bag can located in both the front and rear vehicles.
Front air bags : the air bag component for the driver side is situated
in the centre of the steering wheel, where as the passenger side
component (if required ) can be found in the dash board above the
glove box.
Side airbags : there are three different types of side air bag systems
currently available :
1. Roof-mounted side air bags designed to protect the head and neck.
2. Door-mounted side airbags designed to protect the chest
3. Seat-mounted airbags designed to protect the chest & head.
7.AIR BAG
PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS
1. The air bag are made in following manner

2. The yarn or fabric primarily nylon 66 , lighter denier , lower

dpf and silicon coated.
3. Approximately 1.8 square meter of fabric is used per air bag
module
4. Nylon 66 is used as a key raw material.
 7.AIR BAG
ORKING PROCEDURE OF AIRBAG

Airbags inflate, or deploy, quickly -- faster

than the blink of an eye. Imagine taking one
second and splitting it into one thousand
parts. In the first 15 to 20 milliseconds, air bag
sensors detect the crash and then send an
electrical signal to fire the airbags.

Typically a squib, which is a small explosive

device, ignites a propellant, usually sodium
azide. The azide burns with tremendous
speed, generating nitrogen, which inflates the
airbags. Within 45 to 55 milliseconds the
airbag is supposed to be fully inflated. Within
75 to 80 milliseconds, the airbag is deflated
and the event is over.
 7.AIR BAG
ORKING PROCEDURE OF AIRBAG
Airbags may save lives and guard against severe injuries in high speed
collisions, if designed properly. However, the speed with which airbags
inflate generates tremendous forces. Passengers in the way of an
improperly designed airbag can be killed or significantly injured.
Unnecessary injuries also occur when airbags inflate in relatively minor
crashes when they're not needed

In the past, the air bags were coated by Neoprene. Generally, coated
air bags are preferred for drivers seat and uncoated air bags for side
seats. Recently, silicon coated and uncoated air bags have become
very popular due to advantages such as extended service life,
adaptation to heavy duty vehicles, reduced module size, cost
reduction, improved recyclability
7.AIR BAG
THE COMPONENT OF AIR BAGS
Air bags production involves three different separate
assemblies that combine to form the finished end product, the
air bag module.
Air bag module assemblies are:

1. Propellant: It is consist of sodium azide combined jointly by
means of an oxidizer, a stuff that facilities the sodium azide to
burn up when ignite.
2. Inflator assembly: The inflator machinery, such as the metal
container, the filter assemblage-stainless steel wire net with
ceramic substance in the initiator are receive from outside
dealer and examined. The machinery is after that brings
together on an extremely automated manufacturing line.
3. Air Bag: The woven nylon air bag fabric is purchased from
external dealers and examined for any material flaw. The air
7.AIR BAG

4. Final assembly of air bag module:

The air bag assemblage is then mounted
to the tested inflator assembly. After
that, the air bag is fold up and the
breakaway plastic horn and protection
cover up is installed. Lastly, the
completed element assemblage is
examined and tasted.
5. Other components: The left over
parts of the air bag system the collide
sensors and diagnostic monitor unit, the
steering wheel linking coil and the
display lamp-are joint with the air bag at
some point in vehicle assembly. All the
parts are joinedand communicate
throughout a wiring harness.
8.HEADLINERS
ABOUT HEADLINERS
Headliners are used in passenger cars and multi/sports utility vehicles as
non-woven light weight roofing material.
The cars were earlier fitted with knitted/woven fabric with hard
cardboard type of backing.
The trend has changed and increasingly non-woven headliners are being
used in vehicles.

8.HEADLINERS
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
A headliner is a compound stuff that is ingredient of a face fabric with non-
woven or foam back up that is stick on to the in the interior roof of automobiles.
The majority headliners made of a tricot knit fabric that is knapped to offer a
flexible feel and uniform look.
The cloth is held fast with melted polyurethane foam.
The fabric-foam structure is adhered to the inside fiberglass covering of the
automobile.
Headliners non-woven cloths has GSM varies from 185 220 GSM.
The desired characteristics of headliners are good sound damping properties
and good aesthetics.
The manufacturing process and material used varies across manufacturer and
as per OEM specifications.
8.HEADLINERS
RAW MATERIALS AND MACHINERY

Usually the headliners are non-

woven technical textiles prepared
by polyester staple fiber (PSF)
polypropylene or polyurethane
core sprayed among two
reinforced sheet.
Needle loom is the main
machinery for manufacturing
headliners non-wovens.
9.INSULATION FELTS

ABOUT INSULATION FELTS

Insulation felts often known as NVH
products (Noise, vibration and harshness
parts) are used as for acoustic and
thermal insulation in the automobiles.
These are bonnet liners, outer dash,
wheelhouse and outer floor under the
shield. These parts are not only provides
noise protection inside the car but also
reduction in the noise emission outside.
Uses of NVH parts in automobiles started
after introduction of EURO norms in the
sector.
9.INSULATION FELTS
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
The NVH products or insulation felts 100%
polyester non woven technical textile
products.
These products are classified based on the
manufacturing process needle punched,
phenolic resin bonded and thermoplastic.
The felts are generally soft and used with or
without harder backing.
The thermal insulation products provides
dissipation of heats at high temperature
areas in the engine and under car body.
The NVH products combine noise and heat
protection function into the integrated
comfort system.
9.INSULATION FELTS
RAW MATERIALS AND MACHINERIES
The manufacturing process for NVH products is
based on the raw materials used.
The two broad manufacturing processes are

1.For Non Polyurethane based (Non PU) and

2. Polyurethane based NVH products.
The machinery used for manufacturing NVH
components detail are as given below:
1.Opening and Blending machine-(Key supplier-
Reisky and Schlese)
2.Needle Loom (Key supplier- Dilo (Germany))
3.Foaming and Moulding machine
4. Lamination machine
5. Resin felt manufacturing machine
6. Thermo-bond interlining manufacturing machne.
10.SUN VISORS/ SUN BLINDS
ABOUT SUN VISORS/ SUN BLINDS
The sun visors are located in the interiors of a four wheeler just above
the windshield.
The sun visors are used to block the light from the sun from entering
through the windshield.
The blinds can also be turned to the front side window to reduce lateral
sun exposure.
There are two sun visors in a car,
1. One for driver and
2. The other for co- passenger
However, the high end car models have up to four sun visors.
10.SUN VISORS/ SUN
BLINDS
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
Sun visor needs to effectively reduce the sun obstruction to the driver
and passenger.
Nowadays, a small mirror is also fitted on one of the two sun visors(on
one side)
The blinds are primarily made of three parts
1. The synthetic backbone made of polypropylene or kenaf fibres,
2. Scrim coarse woven reinforcement fabric and
3. Upholstery typically artificial leather
RAW MATERIALS
The fibres of polypropylene, kenaf and polyethylene tetra fluoride or
blend of these used for formation of the core.
The core is further reinforced with scrim and then the unit is
upholstered to for the sun visor unit
11.HELMETS
ABOUT HELMETS
Helmets are used as protective
headgear for two wheelers.
The usual motorcycle helmet has an
internal layer of polystyrene or
polypropylene foam and an external
layer made of plastic, glass, and other
man made fibres.
The principal function of a helmet is to
absorb the shock of a crash and thus
put a stop to major injury to the brain,
rather than preventing head and face
crack.
The external casing put off pointed
substance from piercing the head and
also saves from harming the inner liner
upon contact with the road.
11.HELMETS
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
The two types of helmets available are:
1. Full face helmet
2. Open face helmet
The critical characteristics of the helmets are protection of head,
clear vision through the visor, quick release chin strap and appropriate
ventilation(in case of full face helmets).
The outer shell is made from Acrylotrille-Butadiene-Styrene(ABS) or
polypropylene or glass fibre plastic which is hard in nature.
The inner side of the shell is expected to provide cushion to the rider
and is made from regulated density concussion padding.
12.SPACE SUITS
12.SPACE SUITS

The earliest developed Apollo spacesuits contained an inner layer of

nylon fabric with network of thin walled plastic tubing, which
circulated cooling water around the astronaut to prevent over
headings.

This inner layer is comfort layer of lightweight nylon with fabric

ventilation ducts, than a three layer, system formed the pressure
garment.

Net followed five layers of aluminized Mylar for heat protection

mixed with four spacing layers of Dacron. These were covered with a
non - flammable and abrasion - protective layer of Teflon - coated
beta cloth.

The outer layer was Teflon communication cloth. The backpack unit
contained a life support system providing oxygen, waters and radio
communications.
13.DATA WEAR
13.DATA WEAR
Data wear incorporates sensors at each of the body joints plotting the position
on a graph, which is calculated on a computer. The sensors are made from
conductive elastane.

Data wear clothes consists a bunch of magnetic position sensors, the TCAS
system measures the angle of each of the joints to determine absolute position
of each of the limbs. It has been designed for comfort and ease.

The sensors can be places to specification for individual applications.

The Data-wear body unit consists of jacket, trousers and gloves that are
circuited or wired electronically for interaction with computer.

The application of Data-wear is to track position of limbs in computer data,

medical imaging, measurement, ergonomics, biomechanics, robotics and
animation.

The whole body can be monitored by Data-wear, which has a particular

relevance in fields of sports injuries and biomechanics.
14. HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES (HGV)

More use of textiles is now being made in HGV interiors, which are
becoming more comfortable with livelier coloring, rounder shapes and
surfaces.

Composite materials are being used to replace bulky space dividers

and doors to create more cab storage space.

Seating fabric requirements are similar to automobiles except heavier

fabrics about 430 GSM using yarn up to 3000 dtex are sometimes used
and performance requirements of the flame retardant test are
generally higher.
15.TARPAULINS
Heavy Goods Vehicles are a major user
of tarpaulins, which are made of PVC
plastically, coated nylon and polyester,
usually plain woven from high tenacity
yarns.

Tarpaulins must have resistance to cold

cracking, reduced flammability, coating
adhesion, water proofness and high
tear and tensile strengths.

These must be dimensionally stable

over a wide range of temperatures and
relative humilities and be resistant to
common chemicals, oils and engine
fuels.

Tarpaulins are secured with high

tenacity polyester narrow fabrics which
must also be tested carefully for
strength and UV resistance
16.SPRAY GUARDS
A European community directive
requires Heavy Goods Vehicles to be
fitted with guards to reduce road
spray.

Suitable products have been

produced from polyester
monofilament yarn knitted in a
spacer fabric construction about
12mm thick.

Textile guards are substantially

lighter than ones produced in plastic
and about six guards are required
for the average Heavy Goods
Vehicles.
17.FLEXIBLE INTERMEDIATE BULK
CONTAINERS
Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers are
used for transporting materials such as
powders.

These are woven with polypropylene tape

yarns with a specially formulated coating.

Because of the danger of static explosions

when being filled or emptied, they need to be
carefully earthed with metal wire in the
fabric.

It has been possible to replace the wire with

Negastat, Duponts antistatic yarn that
functions without the need to earth.
FUTURE OF AUTOMOTIVE TEXTILES

The application of automotive textiles are increasing day be

day.
For light weight body, interior design and different functional
purpose textiles are extensively used.
To save the automobiles form rough weather and to protect
the passengers from any accidents technical textiles are
widely used.
Apart from these, different functional parts are made from
textiles to enhance the functionality of the automobiles.
In rail, waterway vessels, aircrafts the technical textiles are
used.
Ropes, sails, seating etc. are some example of textiles used
for waterway vessels.
Different parts of surfing boards, aircrafts etc. are made with
textiles composites to reduce the weight.
CONCLUSION
Textile materials are used in automobiles for interior trim and for
ensuring comfort (e.g. seat covers, carpets, roof liners, and door liners)
as well as for reinforcement (e.g. tyre) and filters. Textiles also offer
weight reduction which in turn results in fuel economy.

The technical textile market is respective to innovative new products.

There is opportunity and need for functional, cost-effective materials.
However, the market is fragmented and complex. Development and lead
times are often long and expensive. The market is quite small but
exhibits moderately strong growth and produces are generally of high
unit values. Due to increasing health and safety issues at work, this may
be an increasingly attractive segment.

Good products are needed and they must work well. It is a market that
offers opportunity, but also one that demands that much development
and testing be done prior to adopting new products. There may be long
lead times much resistance to things new products to market. The truth
is we cannot afford not to have the ideas and products.
 Y O U
H A N K
T U R
R YO
FO C E
T IE N
PA