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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.

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.

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.

Seat upholstery plays an important role in defining overall interior quality and aesthetics of automobiles. Over a period of time, different weather conditions and varied usage pattern affects the performance of seat upholstery material and deteriorates the interior aesthetics. With this, the major challenge for an OEM is to devise upholstery which can retain the performance over the life of the vehicle with a balance of cost and weight. In automotive applications, different materials are used for seating upholstery e.g. PVC, woven fabric, knit fabric, spacer fabric, leather. This paper will focus mainly on analyzing the ageing effect on automotive fabrics having woven construction. This paper analyses and evolves the correlation of the different woven fabrics used in automotive seat upholstery and effect of ageing due to usage condition (durability) and climatic conditions.

In automotive seating system, seat upholstery quality has an important role in defining the overall quality and aesthetics of vehicle interiors. Technical textiles for seating system used in automotive applications are generally categorized into woven or knitted type. An automotive textile material is a composite material made up of three layers; base fabric (top layer), foam (middle layer) and scrim (bottom layer) as shown in Fig. 1. There are many challenges to be overcome during development of fabric e.g. mechanical, physical and aesthetic issues have an impact on overall seat quality, appearance and performance. These issues get highlighted during testing, which takes place during development stage of fabric. The concerns mentioned above are found in automotive textiles in both woven and knitted types of fabrics sourced from different manufacturing set-ups. This paper focuses on identification of problems during testing, followed by root cause analysis.