An Automotive textile is a technical textile used in the transportation and automotive industries. The choice of type of automotive textile focuses on aspects of safety, comfort, and aesthetics. [1] These textiles have variety of applications in the automotive industry, such as interior fittings, safety features, sound insulation, and tire reinforcement. [2] [3] [4]
Certain performance parameters are required for automotive textiles. [5] [2] Different needs are filled by different types of fiber and structures.
High tensile materials are used for airbags. [6] Truck covers are made with PVC or coated polyester material. [1] Textiles are also used for trunk coverings (often needle felts) and cargo tie downs. Many coated and reinforced textiles are used in materials for engines such as air ducts, timing belts, and air filters. Non-woven textiles are used for cabin air filtration and engine sound isolation. [4] [2] [3]
Textiles are also used in the interior of cars, the most obvious uses being for seat covers, safety belts and airbags. [7] Automotive textiles share similarities with home textiles but with stringent quality parameters. Automotive textiles use high-performance fibers, polyester, nylon produced by knitting, warp knitting, weaving or nonwovens. [4] [2]
Nylon fibers, which are strong, tough, resilient, and elastic, are the most commonly used fiber type in automotive textiles. [3]
Polyester is appropriate for upholstery and seat cushions because it is a strong material with satisfactory colorfastness properties. [3]
Hoses require strong, chemical-resistant materials such as polyester, rayon, or aramid. [3]
Woven fabrics and composites of carbon fiber are used in car parts. [8] [9]
Composite materials are formed by combining materials to create an overall structure with properties that differ from individual components. Composite materials are used in headliners of the vehicles. [10] [11] [12]
For seat covers, pure leather and imitated leather, and suede finished fabric is used. Ultrasuede is a type of suede material that is used in automobile and aircraft seats. [13] [14]
Polyurethane is used for foam. [15]
To achieve certain functional characteristics, blended (mix of two types of fibers) covering materials are also used in automotive textiles. [16]
Laminated and coated materials are also used in Automotive sector. [15] Examples are Truck covers (PVC coated PES fabrics) [1] and seat covers made of Alcantara (material).
Cars, and buses have a large use of automotive textiles. A car can consume up to 25 kg of fabric, primarily used for roof coverings and upholstery. Automotive textiles also used in interior trimmings, seats, side panels, carpets, and car trunk coverings, linings, tires, filters, belts, hoses, airbags, etc. [4]
Due to specific performance requirements, different types of fibres are chosen for various sections.
| Car section/part | Fabric consumption in Square meters [17] | Material [3] | Properties of fibers | Performance expectations from the material used [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags | 3.5 | Nylon coated with silicone or Neoprene from inside. | Strong, elastic, tough and stable in terms of shrinkage. | Capability of holding air when inflated and should be strong enough to withstand the impact without rupturing. |
| Door Panels | 2.0 | Nylon | ||
| Upholstery | 10.0 | Nylon & Polyester | Abrasion resistance | Strong abrasion resistance to withstand the friction when sliding of objects and the passengers. To retain the shape and smoothness of the seats. Colors should be fast to the sunlight and rubbing to sustain the exposure. |
| Headliner | 4.0-6.0 | Composite materials | Insulating | Aesthetics, softness, insulation |
| Seat belts | 0.5 | Polyester | ||
| Trunk | 4.0-5.0 | Nylon | Strong, tough and abrasion resistant | Strong enough to stand friction, antimicrobial |
| Parcel shelf | 1.0 | |||
| Pillars | 2.0 | Nylon | ||
| Carpet | 4.0 | Nylon | Strong, tough and abrasion resistant | Strong enough to stand with the friction, the material must be tough and resilient. |
| Total | 31.0-34.0 |
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the only manufacturing method, and many other methods were later developed to form textile structures based on their intended use. Knitting and non-woven are other popular types of fabric manufacturing. In the contemporary world, textiles satisfy the material needs for versatile applications, from simple daily clothing to bulletproof jackets, spacesuits, and doctor's gowns.
Fiber or fibre is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate fibers, for example carbon fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.
Fiberglass or fibreglass is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth. The plastic matrix may be a thermoset polymer matrix—most often based on thermosetting polymers such as epoxy, polyester resin, or vinyl ester resin—or a thermoplastic.
Vectran is a manufactured fiber, spun from a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) created by Celanese Corporation and now manufactured by Kuraray. Chemically it is an aromatic polyester produced by the polycondensation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid.
Microfiber is synthetic fiber finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometers.
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic. A laminate is a permanently assembled object created using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coating machines, machine presses and calendering equipment are used.
Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material. Dye molecules are fixed to the fiber by absorption, diffusion, or bonding with temperature and time being key controlling factors. The bond between the dye molecule and fiber may be strong or weak, depending on the dye used. Dyeing and printing are different applications; in printing, color is applied to a localized area with desired patterns. In dyeing, it is applied to the entire textile.
Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Flocking of an article can be performed for the purpose of increasing its value. It can also be performed for functional reasons including insulation, slip-or-grip friction, retention of a liquid film, and low reflectivity.
Basalt fibers are produced from basalt rocks by melting them and converting the melt into fibers. Basalts are rocks of igneous origin. The main energy consumption for the preparation of basalt raw materials to produce of fibers is made in natural conditions. Basalt continuous, staple and super-thin fibers are produced and used. Basalt continuous fibers (BCF) are used for the production of reinforcing materials and composite products, fabrics and non-woven materials. Basalt staple fibers - for the production of thermal insulation materials. Basalt superthin fibers (BSTF) - for the production of high quality heat and sound insulating and fireproof materials.
Metallic fibers are manufactured fibers composed of metal, metallic alloys, plastic-coated metal, metal-coated plastic, or a core completely covered by metal.
Nonwoven fabric or non-woven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres, bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are neither woven nor knitted. Some non-woven materials lack sufficient strength unless densified or reinforced by a backing. In recent years, non-wovens have become an alternative to polyurethane foam.
Alcantara is the brand name of a synthetic textile with a soft, suede-like microfibre pile, noted for its durability. Alcantara was developed in the 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto and initially manufactured by the Italian company Alcantara. The term has an Arabic root and means "the bridge".
"Technical textile" refers to a category of textiles specifically engineered and manufactured to serve functional purposes beyond traditional apparel and home furnishing applications. These textiles are designed with specific performance characteristics and properties, making them suitable for various industrial, medical, automotive, aerospace, and other technical applications. Unlike conventional textiles used for clothing or decoration, technical textiles are optimized to offer qualities such as strength, durability, flame resistance, chemical resistance, moisture management, and other specialized functionalities to meet the specific needs of diverse industries and sectors.
In textile manufacturing, finishing refers to the processes that convert the woven or knitted cloth into a usable material and more specifically to any process performed after dyeing the yarn or fabric to improve the look, performance, or "hand" (feel) of the finish textile or clothing. The precise meaning depends on context.
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic, also known as carbon fiber, carbon composite, or just carbon, are extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced plastics that contain carbon fibers. CFRPs can be expensive to produce, but are commonly used wherever high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness (rigidity) are required, such as aerospace, superstructures of ships, automotive, civil engineering, sports equipment, and an increasing number of consumer and technical applications.
Textile performance, also known as fitness for purpose, is a textile's capacity to withstand various conditions, environments, and hazards, qualifying it for particular uses. The performance of textile products influences their appearance, comfort, durability, and protection. Different textile applications require a different set of performance parameters. As a result, the specifications determine the level of performance of a textile product. Textile testing certifies the product's conformity to buying specification. It describes product manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes, where fitness for purpose is the primary criterion. Engineering of high-performance fabrics presents a unique set of challenges.
3D textiles are three-dimensional structures made with different manufacturing methods such as weaving, knitting, braiding, or nonwoven, or made with alternative technologies. 3D textiles are produced with three planar geometry, opposed to 2D textiles that are made on two planes. The weave in 2D textiles is perpendicular. The yarn is fed along two axis: length (x-axis) and width (y-axis), while 3D textiles also have a perpendicular weave, but they have an extra yarn with an angular feeding (z-axis) which creates thickness. 3D weaves are orthogonal weave structures, multilayer structures, and angle interlocks. 3D textiles have more manufacturing opportunities, various properties, and a broader scope of applications. These textiles have a wide range of applications, but they are most commonly used where performance is the primary criterion, such as technical textiles. Composite materials, manufacturing is one of the significant areas of using 3D textiles.
Chemical finishing of textiles refers to the process of applying and treating textiles with a variety of chemicals in order to achieve desired functional and aesthetic properties. Chemical finishing of textiles is a part of the textile finishing process where the emphasis is on chemical substances instead of mechanical finishing. Chemical finishing in textiles also known as wet finishing. Chemical finishing adds properties to the treated textiles. Softening of textiles, durable water repellancy and wrinkle free fabric finishes are examples of chemical finishing.
A blend is a mixture of two or more fibers. In yarn spinning, different compositions, lengths, diameters, or colors may be combined to create a blend. Blended textiles are fabrics or yarns produced with a combination of two or more types of different fibers, or yarns to obtain desired traits and aesthetics. Blending is possible at various stages of textile manufacturing. The term, blend, refers to spun fibers or a fabric composed of such fibers. There are several synonymous terms: a combination yarn is made up of two strands of different fibers twisted together to form a ply; a mixture or mixed cloth refers to blended cloths in which different types of yarns are used in warp and weft sides.
Medical textiles are various fiber-based materials intended for medical purposes. Medical textile is a sector of technical textiles that focuses on fiber-based products used in health care applications such as prevention, care, and hygiene. The spectrum of applications of medical textiles ranges from simple cotton bandages to advanced tissue engineering. Common examples of products made from medical textiles include dressings, implants, surgical sutures, certain medical devices, healthcare textiles, diapers, menstrual pads, wipes, and barrier fabrics.
Carbon woven fabrics from Compositesplaza are used in the following applications:Model building, Yachts- and Boats construction, Automotive (car parts), Sporting goods, Orthopedic parts, Aviation parts, industrial Construction, Luxury items and jewellery, Motorsport parts.