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Fabrics play a vital role in defining the overall aesthetics of automotive interiors, primarily with fabric cleanliness. In this respect, the cleanliness of the fabric also becomes equally important. The fabric interior in a car is very prone to staining due to the spilling of water or any liquid substance over it. In order to protect and enhance the life of the fabric, various chemical treatments are suggested as fabric finishes. There are different chemical bases available for the same. Fluorocarbon base is the most effective treatment and is the focus of this study. This chemical treatment lowers the surface energy of the fabric by increasing the hydrophobicity of fabric. Hence, the liquid roll over the surface in the form of droplets by creating higher contact angle over the fiber surface. This study focuses on the effect of chemical treatment on the automotive fabric’s parameters, especially light color fabric.

Riding comfort for automobile seating can be classified into two categories, long time riding comfort and short term riding comfort. The attributes that govern the riding comfort includes static spring constant and energy lost due to hysteresis. The emerging trend towards long term riding comfort could be governed by the above mentioned factors. The hysteresis loss characteristic is related to Poly-Urethane (PU) properties used extensively in automotive seating application. The nature with which the energy is released considering the same material and varying the hardness directly contributes to the comfort analysis for automobile seating and vice versa. Two curves can define the same area but the loading and unloading trend for the two cases could be different and so be the riding comfort. A conclusion would be drawn by obtaining hysteresis loss rate by changing the different parameters (hardness, density). One parameter would be varied by keeping the others constant.

Use of safety belts inside a vehicle is necessary to ensure the safety of passengers as well as drivers. To promote the use of seat belts, a seatbelt reminder system is utilized. This system incorporates a sensor for checking seat occupancy for the passenger seat. Activation of these sensors depends on various parameters like seat pad shape, seat upholstery, vehicle H-point, a load on the seat, etc. In this study, the load factor on the seat is studied. The load on the seat may come from occupants or due to the objects placed on the seat. The detection of objects as an occupant may result in false seat belt reminder alarm and cause inconvenience to the customers. Subjective analysis and surveys, covering a broad range of market population, were done to identify such objects. Consequently, performance requirements were determined to facilitate sensor optimization and selection.

Electrostatic charge generation in fabric is a common phenomenon. This phenomenon of charge generation & transfer of the same to human body is more in case of fabrics made of polyester yarns due to interface property of the material. The charge generation may result in attraction of dust on the fabric surface, clinginess & may also result in uncomfortable shock to the human body. This situation is attributed to various parameters such as fabric construction, yarn properties, yarn finish & various coating on the yarn. Since, polyester fabric is prime material used in seating; there have been many incidences of rubbing of seat fabric to human body, resulting in generation of static charge. This study focuses on understanding the effect of various fabric parameters on electrostatic charge generation. The study will also look into various potential solutions to reduce the charge generation with their merits and demerits.

The seating system is an inseparable part of any automobile. Its main function is not only to provide a space to the user for driving but also to provide support, comfort and help to ergonomically access the various features and necessary operations of the vehicle. For comfort and accessibility, seats are provided with various mechanisms for adjustments in different directions. Typical mechanisms used for seating adjustment include seatback recliners, lifters (height adjusters), longitudinal adjusters, lumber support, rear seat folding mechanism etc. These mechanisms can be power operated or manual based on vehicle/market requirements. For manual mechanisms, the occupant adjusts the position of seat by operating the mechanism with his/her hand. Often comfort to the occupant during operation is limited to the operating effort of the mechanism. However, as will be shown through this study, operating effort is only one of the parameters which provide overall comfort feeling.

Automotive seating is designed by considering safety, comfort and aesthetics for the occupants. Seating comfort is one of the important parameters for the occupant for enhancing the overall experience in a vehicle. Seating comfort is categorized as static (or showroom) comfort and dynamic comfort. The requirements for achieving static and dynamic comfort can sometimes differ and may require design parameters such as PU hardness to be set in opposite directions. This paper presents a case wherein a base seat with good dynamic comfort is taken and an analysis is done to improve upon the static comfort, without compromising on the dynamic comfort. The study focuses on improving the initial comfort by considering various options for seating upholstery.

Automotive textile is an integral aspect of technical textile. Seating fabric plays an important part in defining the interior theme in a car cabin which is being perceived by a customer. Aesthetic appeal in a fabric is achieved by interlacing/interlooping of yarns. Monofilament yarns are used to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the fabric for creating high low effect. This study involves the importance of monofilament yarn at fabric and seat trim levels in automotive seating application. Monofilament in fabric imparts aesthetic and strength to the seat trim. Apart from design & engineering evaluation, manufacturing feasibility for evaluation of fabric during stitching process is critical when evaluating fabrics with monofilaments. Main parameters considered are: 1 Importance of monofilament yarn. 2 Evaluation criteria for monofilament yarn. 3 Performance of monofilament yarn at fabric level & seat trim level.

In automotive seating, there are multiple applications wherein parts have relative motions. During the relative motion of parts, noise is generated due to friction which can be irritant to the end user. This paper focuses on, one such application where conventional noise reduction solutions like grease application are not very effective. Typically, Seats can have two types of Head Restraint, a) Adjustable, b) Non Adjustable. In Adjustable type of Head restraint, during adjustment by the end user, head restraint rod rubs against the metal plate inside the locking guide. This creates friction and that in turn results in noise. The paper focuses on understand the phenomenon of noise, identifying the root cause and studying about potential solutions to reduce the noise to acceptable level. In this paper, parameters affecting the noise are studied and evaluated.