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A REVIEW ON TEXTILES IN AUTOMOTIVE

INDUSTRIES
N.Nandhini-III M.Sc-FDM
Department Of Apparel & Fashion Design
PSG College Of Technology,Peelamedu
Nandhininatrajan78@gmail.com
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ABSTRACT:
Textiles are known by generations which
it outlook appears that textiles have
application only in apparel purposes, but
as a matter of fact, there are non apparel
uses of textiles such as automotive
textiles(17).Textiles in automotive industry
are gaining fast recognition to be the one
of the most dynamic and promising areas
for the future of the textile industry in
India for the high performance
applications(3).The applications of
automotive textiles have a good driving
forces behind their uses in vehicles. The
commercial introduction of a wide range
of new techniques of usage in automotive
textiles were still coming up. Thus,textiles
in automotive has a huge development in
economy at present. Based on information
gathered from various publications data,
this study aims to give a short review
about textiles in automotive industry.
Keywords: automotive textiles
,applications, promising industry,
development.
The automotive industry is one of the
important growing economy inglobal and
in employment generation. Automotive
textiles are an expanding area of textile
industries. New yarn and fiber
development is one of the driving forces
of the modern technical textile
industry(1).Automotive textiles are gaining
fast recognition to be the one of the most
dynamic and promising areas for the
future of the textile industry in India for
the high performance applications(3).
Automotive textiles in an Integral aspect
of technical textile and are used in
accordance with the vehicles such that it is
widely used in automotive industry right
from light weight vehicles to a heavy truck
or duty vehicles at present(1).
The automotive textiles used in cars have
some increased manufacturing where
everyone loves to have best loyalty &
comfort cars and they were ready to
spend much to get satisfied cars as shown
in fig 1 & fig 2(4).

1.INTRODUCTION:

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1.2 Growth of the textiles in automotive

industry:
The growth of automotive textiles is very
good in last decades. There are few driving
forces behind the growth of automotive
textiles that was shown in fig 3. 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
Fig1 spending more time in cars.
 For better fuel economy,the trend is
towards lightweight vehicles
replacing metal by fibre composites
in the most of the applications.
 More safety devices in the vehicles
in the form pf airbags and seat
belts.
 Ecological reforms for recycling of
used cars have increased the
Fig 2 amount of textiles in an automobile.
1.1 Automotive Industry:
 Apart from interiors and safety,
The automotive industry is a wide range of
textiles have also come up with the
companies and organizations involved in
the design, development, manufacturing,  solution to engineering problems
marketing, and selling of motor such as tyre reinforcement,
vehicles some of them are called protection ,gas and air filtration(24).
automakers(5).It is one of the world's
most important economic sectors
by revenue.The automotive industry does
not include industries dedicated to the
maintenance of automobiles following
delivery to the end-user, such
as automobile repair shops and motor fuel
filling stations(12).
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Space suits(fig 4)
Fig 3: Exports growth ofautomotive
textiles
1.3 Applications of Automotive Textile:
There are many applications used in
automotive textiles and they are
catogorised into visible components and
concealed components. They are clearly
tabulated in table 1:
TABLE 1
Visible components Concealed Spray guards (fig 5)
components
upholstery Tyre cords
carpets composites
Seat belts,seat airbags
covers
headliners Nylon tyre cord
fabric
Car body covers Transmission tunel Transmission tunnel (fig 6)
Spray guard Carburetor filter
Interior carpets Molded fuel tanks
Package trays
Door trim
Convertible taps
Trunk liners
Window frames
steering wheel Package trays (fig 7)
Space suits
Insulating felts
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2. ABOUT MATERIALS USED IN Tyre cords Polyster, Tensile

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY nylon,steel and strength,a
aramid,high dhesion to
2.1 Fabric composition and its properties: tenacity rayon. rubber,fati
gue
APPLICATI FIBRE USED PROPERTIES resistance.
ONS Sun Polyester,nylo Abrasion
Seat Nylon,polyster,p Abrasion and visors/blinds n,acrylic,leathe &uvresista
covers olupropylene, UV resistance, r nce,textur
Wool,leather light e
fastness,anti- tarpaulins Coated Coating
pillling,soil and nylon,polyster, adhesive
flame plain woven Water
repellency with high proof
,attractive tenacity
design and headlines Non Stiffness,so
texture woven,polypro und
Seat belts polyster Tensile pylene reduction
strength,exten Car body Reinforced Waterproo
sion(25- covers cotton,nylon f,tensilestr
30%)abrasion ength,heat
and uv absorbing
resistance. Insulation Polysternon Soft and
Interior Nylon,polyester, Light felts woven Reduction
carpets polypropelene. fastness,hygie in noise
ne,mouldabilit emisssion
y Spray guards Polyster Lighter
composite Glass,carbon,ara Stiffness,streng monofilament than
s mid,high th,lightweight, yarn plastic,tens
tenacity energy ile strength
polyester absorbing Space suits Nylon Heat
airbags Nylon 6,6 and Resistance to fabric,coated protection,
nylon 6 high beta cloth and abrasion
temperature Teflon cloth and non-
inflation gases, flammable
durability to
storage over
many years,
tear strength
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2.2 Characteristics of automotive textiles:
 Fundamental characteristics are
high durability, comfort, decorative,
safety purpose, functional and
aesthetics.
 Good temperature extremes and
have good abrasion
resistance,resistance to heat and
light.
 They provide warm,soft and flexible
feel
 It is moist and odour resistant
interior
 Good in strength and air
permeability properties.
 Low inflammability and good
compression recovery.
 Capable of easy replacements and
load bearing capacity.
 good sound damping properties.
(25)
2.3 Requirements in automotive textiles:
 It should be easy to maintain
 It should have good properties after
prolonged usage
 It should be good in water and satin
proof,wrinkle resistance flame
resistant for safety.
 It should have antistatic ,oil
releasing property, skin abrasion
and improved recyclability.
 It may have decorative works with
lightning effects and additional
features with advanced techniques.
 It should not have irritations and
impacts.
 It should be energy absorbing
device and aesthetical pleasing(25)
(26).
2.4 Specific automotive textile
applications used in car:
2.4.1Headliners:
Characteristics: Good sound
damping properties and aesthetics
Properties: Multi layered that have
multiple functionalities include look,
feel and stiffness.
Fabric used: In early days,
knitted/woven and now,
Nonwovens because of trend
change(11)
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Fig 8: Headliners
2.4.2 Car body covers:
Characteristics: 100% technical
textile product
Fabric used: Reinforced cotton
material and nylon.
Functions: To safeguard the car if
parking is not available(11).
Fig 9: Car body covers
2.4.3 Seat belts:
Characteristics: It absorb energy,designed
to stretch during impact.
Fabric used: Woven made of nylon
filaments yarns and high tensile polyster
filament yarn.
Functions: It functions as a safety
harnesses as securing the
passenger/occupant and holding the in
their seat during collision or jerk (14)
Fig 10: seat belt
2.4.4 Interior Carpets:
Characteristics: Carpets are usually fitted
Fabric used: Nonwoven textile material
Functions: Usage of carpets varies
according to the interior designs and car
models(17).
Fig 11: Interior carpets
2.4.5 Sun visors/blinds:
Fabrics used: Polypropylene or
kenaffibres, the scrim with coarse woven
reinforcement fabric and upholstery with
typically artificial leather.
Functions: The main use of sun visors are
used to block the sunlight from entering
through the windshield and sunvisors can
also be turned to the front side window to
reduce lateral sun exposure(21).
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fig 14: airbags

Fig 12: sun visors
2.4.8 Nylon tyre cord fabric:
2.4.6 Seat covers: Characteristics: High tenacity, and it
almost replaced the usage of rayon and
Characteristics: In advanced technology polyster cords in the tyre industry
has high development in luxury and Fabric used: Nylon-6 and nylon-6 6.
comfort. Functions: It provides strength to a
tyre(11)

Fabric used: Cotton,vinyl,velvet and

leather(9).
2.4.9 Tarpaulins:

Characteristics: Resistance to cold

Fig 13: seat covers
2.4.7 Airbags:
Fabric used: Nylon 6 6
Functions: It is one of the safety device
aimed at preventing or avoiding injury to
passengers when accident occurs,during
accidents it suddenly inflates and deflates
and provide the passenger(23)
cracking, reduced flammability, coating
adhesion, water proofness, high tear and
tensile strengths.
Fabrics used: Coated nylon and polyster
and with plain woven from high tenacity
yarns.
Functions: Majorily used by heavy goods
vehicles to cover and prevent from
impacts(11)
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There are many leading manufacturers of

automotive textiles and they are
mentioned below:
 Adient
 Adox technical textile
 Atlas
 Castilla textile
 Diener
Fig 15 : tarpaulins  Eca
 Eurolaser
2.4.10 Composites:
Fabrics used : Carbon fiber reinforced  Fibertex non wovens
polymer, aramid fibre ,epoxy resin matrix  Lear
Functions: It is for making lighter, safer  Ledtes webbings
and more fuel efficient vehicles (15).  Mavtech limited
 Takata
And their logos mentioned in the fig 18

Fig 16: composites

2.4.11 Steering wheel:

Fabrics used: Different types of leather
Functions: The steering wheel is the part
of the steering system that is manipulated
by the driver(11)

Fig 18: logos

4. QUALITY TESTING:
Fig 17: steering wheel Testing standards have become
increasingly higher, due to consumers'
3. LEADING MANUFACTURES: requirements and the increased
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competitiveness of the automotive increase force, that was shown in fig

markets. The vehicles that are produced 20(27)
now must last longer than before and
allow for higher prices upon consecutive
re-selling(27).That is the reason why the
inside of the vehicle must be preserved in
the best of conditions in time, in spite of
its being exposed to multiple physical and
chemical factors(26). There are many tests
used for automotive textiles. Few of major
tests are listed below:
Fig 20: Abrasion& scratch resistance
Flammability:
Flexing Endurance:
Motor vehicles contain components that The degree that leather and coated fabrics
burn if subjected to a large enough flex will depend on the end use. For
example, leather used as a door panel is
ignition source. These include seat
unlikely to experience significant flexing,
upholstery, headlining, trim panels and
whereas upholstery leather will flex every
floor coverings. So flammability test is time when the driver and passenger
done that was shown in fig 19(27). seated. Thus this test is done shown in fig
21(27).

Fig 21: Flexing endurance

Fig 19: Flammability
Abrasion and scratch resistance:
Automotive materials experience mild
abrasive actions from users entering the
vehicle and being seated while driving or
travelling. So abrasion test is done. Plastic
components may be tested for scratch
resistance using a metallic scribe which is
applied to the test surface with an
Color:
The materials used for automotive
upholstery and trim need to offer
sufficient resistance to soiling, staining
and color change. Automotive interiors
may be exposed to direct sunlight for long
periods of time and appropriate
laboratory testing can investigate the
likelihood of materials fading due to poor
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light fastness and thus testing shown in fig brand damage, and the test shown in fig
22(27). 24(27).

Fig 22: Color testing

Fig 24:Corrossion testing
Staining and cleanability:
Automotive upholstery and trim need to
Strength:
offer acceptable levels of resistance to
Strength of textiles include leather, textile
soiling, staining and color change.Once
and coated fabric, should have good
soiled,some components may be difficult
indication of the quality of the material
to effectively clean. To avoid this
and it can be suitability for its intended
problem,cleanability test is more
end use. Tensile and tear strength tests
important,thus shown in fig 23(27).
are useful as general quality assessments
and seam strength tests are applicable to
materials used in specific applications,the
test shown in fig 25(27).

Fig 23: Staining and cleanability test

Corrossion:
Fig 25: Strength testing
Many automotive components,
5.ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES :
particularly metal, are at risk of salt
corrosion. Degradation will occur from  Most processes performed in
either electrochemical or chemical automotive textile produce
processes with different materials for atmospheric emissions.
protective coatings reaching at varying  Gaseous emissions have been
rates. Corrosion problems can lead to identified as the second greatest
costly repairs and cause considerable
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pollution problem for the
automotive textiles industries(29).
 Air pollution is the most difficult
type of pollution to sample, test,
and quantify in an audit.  being carried out to improve their usage in
 The textile industry uses high
volumes of water throughout its
operations, from the washing of
fibres to bleaching,dyeing and
washing of finished products thus
water pollution is created(28).
 So to overcome these pollution
cleaner production is an attractive
approach to tackle environmental
problems associated with industrial
production and poor material
efficiency(28).
 Since the cleaner production
approach has been successfully
implemented in some areas in the
textile sector, it shows that
significant financial saving and
environmental improvements can
be made by relatively low-cost and
straight forward interventions(30).
 This improves the quality of
products and minimizes the cost of
production, enabling the branch to
compete in the global market.
Moreover, Cleaner Production also
improves the company’s public
image by highlighting the steps it
has taken to protect the
environment(29).  [15].www.sciencedirect.com
CONCLUSION:
The automotive textile has a wide range of
production which is developing day to day
and experiencing huge market in
economy, and many innovative research is
many different areas.Even though their
development and lead times are long,
finally they exihibits moderately strong
growth and productions with high unit
values in future and thus results in the
invention or production of addition of
applications in automotive textiles with
best features.
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