Textiles in Transportation

(MOBILTECH)
presentation
by
NITRA
 Textiles in Transportation
Market Size
– It is about 23% of the total technical textiles market. However,
in India its share is 7 % in technical textiles market.

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U same month a year earlier, the
Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIAM) announced in
New Delhi today (Sept. 9, 2010).
 Domestic Market
(2010-12)
Rs. Crores
Nylon tyre cord 2,425
Seat belt webbing 22
Air bag 35
Car body covers 17
Seat covers 868
fabric/Upholstery
Automotive interior 290
carpets
Headliners 59
Insulation felts 494
Sunvisors/Sunblinds 154
Helmets 759
Airlines disposable 5
Webbing for aircrafts 5
Aircraft Upholstery 1
TT usage in railway 2
TOTAL 5,145
 MOBILTECH
Land – Air/Space - Water
• upholstery, car interior, carpets
• tires, car elements, filters,
• Heat, cable & sound insulation,
• safety systems - airbags, seat belts
• Protective covers for land crafts, boats, aircrafts
• sailcloth, inflatable boats
• Envelopes of balloons
• Special equipment for military vehicles,

Some of these textiles are visible while the others are concealed.

Visible components: upholstery, carpets, seat belts, headliners etc.

Concealed components – tyre cords, hoses, belts, airbags, air and fuel filters,
noise and vibration dampening and body panel reinforcement in composites etc.
 FIBRE COMPOSITION IN
AUTOMOTIVES
APPLICATION FIBRES / PRODUCTS
AREAS USED

UPHOLSTERY Polyester, wool,

nylon, acrylic
TYRE CORDS Polyester, Nylon, HT *
& FABRICS rayon, steel & aramid 0.5
0.4
4.2

COMPOSITE Glass, carbon, aramid, 0.2

5.5
cotton
HT polyester & jute
polyethylene polyester
RUBBER REIN- HT polyester, aramid 2.6 polypropylene
FORCEMENT polyethylene
polyamide
SEAT BELTS HT polyester 3.5
viscose
15.4
acrylic
AIRBAGS Nylon - 6,6, nylon - 4,6

CARPETS Nylon, polyester, Percent share of Various Fibers

polypropylene in Automotives

Source: David Rigby Associates

Textiles in Passenger Cars

GENERAL MOTORS TOYOTA BMW FORD

TATA MOTORS SUZUKI HONDA HYUNDAI

DAEWOO MAHINDRA MOTORS NISSAN MOTORS

FIAT

FORCE MOTORS HINDUSTAN MOTORS

PORSCHE VOLVO
Textile Materials used in
Car Interiors
TEXTILES USED IN CARS (Kg)

~20 kg
 Seat Covers
Selection of fabric:
Apart from the properties such as strength &
comfort properties, the fabric should also have
– Resistance to Sun Light & UV (strength & color fastness)
– Abrasion Resistance
– Reduced Flammability
– Odour free
– Antistatic
– Soil resistance.
 Composition of seat cover
It is a trilaminate consisting of
face fabric, foam and scrim lining
on the back.
The specifications of the laminate
depend on where the laminate is
used: seat central panel or back or
door panel...
– PET face fabric
– The foam is PE-PU or Polyether-PU;
the latter being more hydrolysis
resistant & is suitable for humid
climates
– Foam density – 26 to 45 Kg/m3, 2 to
22 mm thick, fire resistant.
– The scrim fabric is warp knitted (nylon
or Polyester), 30-90 g/m2
 Q C & Testing
(Seat Covers)

Accelerated ageing: Light & UV

Abrasion – Taber/Martindale/ Schopper

Peel bond adhesion

Color fastness – perspiration, crocking

Flammability
Stretch and set
Strength – tensile/tear; seam strength
Surface resistivity (antistatic)

Stain resistivity

Water wicking

Resistance to micro organisms

Fogging

Odour
Odor test

It is measured to determine the odor propagation of the

interior materials.
• The specimen (either dry or wet) is placed in an air tight
container for a specified time (2 to 24 hrs) and
temperature (70 to 800C). Then the odour is evaluated by
3 to 6 persons and is graded in a scale of 1 to 5 or
1to10.
 Fogging Test

• Tested for all interior and air

ventilation systems for the
presence of volatile organic
constituents (VOC)
• The specimen is placed in a
closed glass container and heated
at a specified temperature for a
specified time.
• The volatile compounds are
collected on a glass plate or on a
silver foil and the optical property
of the glass plate or the increase in
weight of the foil is measured to
determine the fogging value.
Accelerated ageing: Light & UV radiation-Seating fabric
Standard Black Panel RH (%) Wavelength( n Exposure Requirement
Temp (oC) m) hours on grey scale

SES N 3295 89±3 50±5 300-400 185 (at 60 Min 3

W/m2)/40M
J
GME 60292 115±3 20±5 300-400 80±16 Min 6 on blue
wool

JASO M 403 83±3 50±5 300-400 100 /200 Min 3

HES D 89±3 50±5 300-400 354 Min 3

6506/MS 300-
32

GMW 3414 108±3 25±5 420 192 Min 3

Cycle B

Volks Wagon 100±3 20±10 320 46 Min 6 on blue

AG PV 1303 wool

Mahindra/ Dark: 38±2 Dark: 95±5 340 250 Min 3

Ford/SAE J Light: 89±3 Light: 50±5
1885/ TSL
2100G

SES: Suzuki Engineering Standard, GME: General Motors Europe Engineering Standards, HES: Hyundai
Engineering, Standard, SAE: Society of Automotive Engineers, TSL: Toyota Engineers Standards
Accelerated ageing test
 Seat Belts
Multilayer woven narrow fabrics

– Maximum yarn packing for a given area

to have maximum strength
– Twill or Satin
– HT PET yarns (320 ends of 1100 dtex or 260
ends 1670 dtex)
– Softer & flexible along the length for
comfort
– Rigidity along the width to enable it to
slide easily between buckles and
retract smoothly into housings
– Scuff resistant but not unpleasantly
hard edges
– Resistant to microorganisms
 Performance Standards
(Seat Belts)

– Restrain a passenger weighing 90 Kg involved in

a collision at 50 Km/h into a fixed object
– Minimum straight pull strength 30kN/50mm
– Accelerated ageing
– Finished product – resistance to fastening &
unfastening 10,000 times
 How airbags work ?
• The design is conceptually simple; a central "Airbag control unit"
(ACU) monitors a number of related sensors within the vehicle:
– accelerometers,
– impact sensors,
– side (door) pressure sensors,
– whell speed sensors,
– gyroscopes,
– brake pressure sensors and
– seat occupancy sensors.

When the requisite 'threshold' has been reached or exceeded, the airbag
control unit will trigger the ignition of a gas generator propellant to rapidly
inflate a nylon fabric bag.
As the vehicle occupant collides with and squeezes the bag, the gas
escapes in a controlled manner through small vent holes.
The airbag's volume and the size of the vents in the bag are tailored to each
vehicle type, to spread out the deceleration of (and thus force experienced
by) the occupant over time and over the occupant's body, compared to a
seat belt alone.
Working of Airbag
 Airbag
(As a supplemental restraint)

Frontal airbag
The auto industry and research and regulatory communities
have moved away from their initial view of the airbag as a
seat belt replacement. The airbags are now designated as
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) or Supplemental
Inflatable Restraints.
 Fabrics for Airbag

• The fabric from which the air bag is made must

withstand the force of the propellant chemicals. More
importantly, the hot gases must not penetrate the fabric
and burn the skin of the car occupant.
• The earlier airbags were Neoprene coated Nylon 6,6 but
lighter and thinner silicon coated versions soon followed.
Latter, uncoated fabrics have appeared.
• Airbags vary in size and configuration
– driver side airbags: from 35 lit capacity upwards
– for front passengers: form about 65 lit capacity upwards
 Fabrics for Airbag

– High bursting Strength

– Fire retardance
– Light weight,
– Compact-folding ability,
– Low cost.
– Reduced skin abrasion (softness)
– High tear propagation Resistance
– High anti slip properties to the seam
– Resistance against Ageing
– Defined Dimension stability
 Airbag
(Fabric Quality Requirements)
• HT multi filament nylon 6,6 – 210, 420 and 840 denier
• High tear strength, high anti seam slippage, controlled
air permeability (about 10L/m2/min) and be capable of
being folded up into a confined space for over 10 years
without deterioration.
• Some tests require 75% property retention after 4000
hrs at 90-1200C, the equivalent of 10 yrs. UV exposure
and also cold cracking resistance down to -400C.
• Recently, Nylon 4,6 (Akzo) with melting point of 2850C
has been introduced especially for airbags.
The Future of Airbags

Until recently, most of the strides made in auto safety were in front and rear impacts, even

though 40 percent of all serious injuries from accidents are the result of side impacts, and 30

percent of all accidents are side-impact collisions. Many carmakers have responded to these

statistics (and the resulting new standards) by beefing up doors, door frames and floor and

roof sections.

Cars that currently offer side airbags represent the new wave of occupant protection.

Engineers say that designing effective side airbags is much more difficult than designing front

airbags. This is because much of the energy from a front-impact collision is absorbed by the

bumper, hood and engine, and it takes almost 30 to 40 milliseconds before it reaches the car's

occupant. In a side impact, only a relatively thin door and a few inches separate the occupant

from another vehicle. This means that door-mounted side airbags must begin deploying in a

mere five or six milliseconds!

 Shaped Airbags
Side Airbag
There are essentially two
types of side airbags
commonly used today, the
side torso airbag and the
side curtain airbag.
Knee airbag
Side airbag inflated
It is located beneath the
steering wheel. Knee
airbags are designed to
reduce leg injury.

Knee Airbag
Side Torso Airbag

Side-impact airbags or side torso

airbags are a category of airbag
usually located in the seat, and
inflate between the seat occupant
and the door. These airbags are
designed to reduce the risk of
injury to the pelvic and lower
abdomen regions. Some vehicles
are now being equipped with
different types of designs, to help
reduce injury and ejection from
the vehicle in rollover crashes.
Side tubular or curtain airbag

The 1998 model BMW 7 were fitted with

a tubular shaped head side airbags, the
"Head Protection System (HPS)" as
standard equipment. This is an
industry's first in offering head protection
in side impact collisions. This airbag
also maintained inflation for up to seven
seconds for rollover protection.
However, this tubular shaped airbag
design has been quickly replaced by an
inflatable 'curtain' airbag for superior
protection. Curtain airbag
• Curtain airbags have been said to reduce brain injury
or fatalities by up to 45% in a side impact with an
SUV. These airbags come in various forms (e.g.,
tubular, curtain, door-mounted) depending on the
needs of the application. Many recent have a long
inflatable curtain airbag that protects all 3 rows of
seats of high end vehicles.
 Rear curtain airbag

In 2008, the Toyota iQ

launched featuring the first
production rear curtain shield
airbag to protect the rear
occupants' heads in the event
of a rear end impact.

Center airbag

In 2009, Toyota developed the first

production rear-seat center airbag
designed to reduce the severity of
secondary injuries to rear
passengers in a side collision.

Seat belt airbag

In 2009, the S-class ESF safety concept car showcased

seatbelt airbags. They will be included standard on the
production Lexus LFA in late 2010, and the 2011 Ford
Explorer will offer rear seatbelt airbags as an option.
On motorcycles

• Various types of airbags were tested on

motorcycles by the UK Transport
Research Laboratory in the mid 1970s.

• In 2006 Honda introduced the first

production motorcycle airbag safety
system on its Gold Wing motorcycle.
Honda claims that sensors in the front
forks can detect a severe frontal collision
and decide when to deploy the airbag,
absorbing some of the forward energy of
the rider and reducing the velocity at which
the rider may be thrown from the
motorcycle.

• Airbag suits have also been developed for

use by Motorcycle Grand Prix riders. They
are connected to the motorcycle by a cable
and deploy when the cable becomes
detached from its mounting clip, inflating to
protect the back.
 Headliners
• It is multilayer construction:
– Decorative face fabric
– Soft touch PU foam
– Chopped glass mat
– Semi rigid PU foam (core material)
– Chopped glass mat
– Non-woven scrim fabric
All layers are hot pressed with thermo plastic
powder/film
 QUALITY REQUIREMENT FOR HEAD LINER
(Resin Felt)

UNIT REQUIRED VALUE

ITEM
Mass per unit area Kg/m2 2.0 + 0.15

Thickness mm 2.9 + 0.5

Apparent Bulk Density g/cm3 0.38 – 0.67

Resin Contents (Min.) (%) 26

Flexural Strength (Min.) kg/cm2 60

Heat (Flexural Strength) (Min.) kg/cm2 50

Humidity (Flexural Strength) (Min.) kg/cm2 30

Flammability (Max.) Mm/Min 80

 QUALITY REQUIREMENT FOR
SOUND ABSORBING MATERIALS
(Silencer Pad)
UNIT REQUIRED VALUE
ITEM
Thickness mm As per the end use

Density g/cm3 0.38 – 0.67

Moisture Contents (Max.) (%) 15

Tensile Strength (Min.) Kpa 59

Glass Fogging Rate (Max.) (%) 10

Sound Absorbing Rate (ratio of (%) Depending on the

absorption & reflection factor) component – Dash
board, engine felts…
Flammability (Max.) Cm/Min 10
 Sound Absorption Test

Acoustic Impedance is a measure of the

propagation of sound waves in a
medium.

Sound insulation of a material is

measured with an impedance tube
wherein the test specimen is mounted
at one end of rigid, smooth and airtight
Impedance tube. Sound weaves are
generated in the tube and the sound
pressures are measured at locations
near to the sample. The a constant
related to the propagation of sound
waves in an acoustic medium
 Nonwoven Applications
• Bonnet: Bi-component yarn (nylon6 sheath with PET
cover) to reinforce acoustic insulation
• Air-filters: nonwoven with activated carbon and
antibacterial chemicals to remove malodours
• Carpets: less weight, low cost & recycling -
needle felt PP
• Surfaces such as window seals, dash board
components – PET & Nylon 66 flocked surfaces to
eliminate rattles & squeaks as well as
contributing to overall aesthetics.
 Automotive Carpet Structure
1. Decorative top layer of fiber
Tufted BCF nylon or needle punched
PET or PP back, latex coated with
SBR or acrylic latex

2. Thermoplastic material for thermal

moulding
Polyethylene powder, meldable fibers,
EVA or further thick layer of
compounded SBR latex

3. Acoustic & vibration damping

layers
Heavy layer of shoddy fibers or PU
foam
 CARPETS
• Carpets are classified according to their application and location.

TYPES APPLICATION LOCATION

Type 1 Door trim, quarter trim Inner side surface of 2-

door car passenger
compartment
Type 2 Trunk trim Rear trunk inside

Type 3 Floor Floor of passenger

compartment

Type 4 Cargo floor, High floor High floor surface of vans

Type 5 Rear shelf Shelf behind rear seat

 QUALITY REQUIREMENT FOR CARPETS

REQUIRED VALUE
ITEM UNIT Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5

Mass per unit area g/m2 Shall conform to drawing

Tensile Strength (MIN.) Kg/50mm 20 20 8(Warp), 35 20

35(Weft)
Elongation normal state (MIN.) (%) 3 3 3 3 3
Abrasion Resistance (MIN.) Grade 3 3 3 3 3

Immersion Shrinkage (Max.) (%) 1 1 1 1 1

Tear strength (MIN.) kg 5 5 7(Warp) 10 5
10(Weft)
Crease Resistance (%) 50 + 5 70 + 10 70 + 10 60 + 10 60 + 10

Fade Resistance (MIN.) Grade 4 4 4 4 4

Heat Resistance (MIN.) Grade 4 or 4 or 4 or above 4 or 4 or

above above above above
Fogging (Max.) (%) 15 15 15 15 15

Odor (MIN.) Grade 4 4 4 4 .4

Color Fastness To Rubbing (MIN.) Grade 4 4 4 4 4
Color Fastness To Washing (MIN.) Grade 3 3 3 3 3

Flammability (Max.) Mm/Min 80 80 80 80 80

 Indian Railways
Technical Requirements for
Fire Retardant Curtain & Upholstery
• Resistance to Spread of Flame
– Size of the fabric damaged due to Fire
– Time of Continued Burning after Extinction of fire
– After Glowing
– Release of Burning Particles
• Limiting Oxygen Index
– Minimum Concentration of Oxygen required in the
mixture with Nitrogen, which will Support Combustion
of a Vertical Specimen
• Deterioration of Visibility due to Smoke
• Toxicity Index
It determines the toxicity of the products of combustion
in terms of small molecular species arising when a
small sample of a material is completely burnt.

Toxic Gases
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) • Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
• Carbon monoxide (CO) • Hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
• Formaldehyde (HCHO) • Hydrogen chloride (HCl)
• Nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2) • Ammonia (NH3)
• Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) • Hydrogen fluoride (HF)
• Acrylonitrile (CH2CHCN) • Hydrogen bromide (HBr)
• Phosgene (COCl2) • Phenol (C6H5OH)
 Additional Requirements for FR Property
Based on BS : 5852
• Cigarette
• Butane Gas
• Wooden crib

BIS Tests
• IS : 12467(Part 1) – Smouldering Cigarette
• IS : 12467(part 2) - Match Flame Equivalent
Requirements other than FR Property
• Mass of Fabric
• Breaking Strength
• Tearing Strength
• Colour Fastness to Dry and Wet Rubbing
• Colour Fastness to Day Light
• Dimensional Change
Common FR Test Methods
BS 5852 Part 1 "Match - test"
(on finished / unfinished CO - fabric)
 Flame retardant against burning cigarettes

Length : ± 68mm

Diameter : ± 8mm

Mass : 1g nominal
igniting not less than 5mm not more
than 8mm

smouldering rate : 12 ± 3min / 50mm

pass if :not more than 50mm damage
within 60min : no flaming,
smoke, heat, glowing
 Flame retardant for upholstery fabric

Flame Length : 35mm (vertical); Ignition Time : 20s;

Pass if : Flaming : max. 2min after removal of the burner, Smoke, heat, glowing :
max. 15min after removal, Max. 100mm damage ↔↕
German Railway - "Upholstery - Test"
 Work Clothes
EN 533

• Flame length : 40mm (vertical); Ignition time : 10s

• Criteria : -after flame time; afterglow time; not charred area;
formation hole; molten / flaming debris; borders reached
 Carpet
ASTMD 5859-76

• Methenamine tablet
• Steel plate : Æ 205mm
• Pass if :
charred area
<= 25.4mm
from inner edge : OK
 NF P 92-504
Rate of spread of flame test: Flame length : 35mm (vertical)
Ignition : 30 times 5s with 3s intervals M1 if :- after flame time
max. 1s; no flaming debris; burning speed max. 2mm/s

NF P 92-503

Criteria : formation hole <20”; if yes ®NF P 90-504;

M1 if : After flame time max.5 - damage afterglow
max. 250mm; no molten / flaming debris
 Common FR Test Methods

Cigarette Burning Test Match Test

Carpet Testing

Upholstery Test
NITRA’s Test Facilities for Automotive Fabrics
1. Color Fastness to light GME 60292, SAE J 1885, TSL 3600G, Xenon Tester
Xenon Arc TSL 0601, MS -300-35, AATCC 16 H (ATLAS)
-For one sample JASO M 403-83, HES D 6601,
-For two sample JASO M 346, EDS-T-7415, GM 9538 P
-For three sample
2. Color definition/difference CCM Spectrophotometer
(XYZ & Lab value) (∆E) Macbeth – 3100 Macbeth-3100
3. Abrasion resistance SAE J1530 – A, Taber Abrasion
(Taber Type) Abrader SES N3246, Tester (U.S.A.)
wheel CS-10, H-22, & H-38
JASO 403,
Up to 1000 cycles SAE J948,
Up to 1500 cycles MS 300-32,
Up to 2000 cycles SES N 3298,
4. Flammability SAE J369, FMV SS 302, SES N 3245, HES Flammability tester
D-6003, JASO M 313, GM 9070P, MS 300-
8
5. Smell (Dry & Wet TSL 3505G, TSM0505 G Hot Air Oven
condition)
6. Smell (40C- 95% RH X 400 TSL 3505G Humidity chamber
HRS)
7. Odor Properties HES D6507, MS 300-32, FMLT 131-01 Hot Air Oven
8. Glass Fogging TSL 3608G, MS:300-54, EDS-T-7694-B, U.V. Visible
TSM 0503G spectrophotometer
NITRA’s Facilities
9. Color Fastness to Crocking & FLTM BN 107-01, JASO M313, Motorised Crock Meter
Rubbing EDS-T-7643, MS 300-35
10. Water inclusion 5SFTS-0303-O -

11. Color Fastness to Rubbing After MS 300-35 Xenon Tester And

Fade Resistance & Fade Resistance Condition Crock Meter
12. Dimensional change by HES D 6506, JASO N 313-83, MS 300- Water Bath
Moisturing/immersion shrinkage 32, FLTN BN 105-01
13. Dimensional stability against MS 300-32 Humidity Chamber
humidity
14. Dimensional Change By Heating HES D 6506, FLTM-BN-105-01 Hot Air Oven

15. Water Resistance/Repellency HES D 6506, MS 300-32 Spray Tester

16. Soil And Cleanability MS 300-32, FLTM BN 112-08 Launder-o-meter

17. Resistance To Bleeding AN 101-01 Perstirometer

(James H. Heal)
18. Resistance To Perspiration AN 101-01 Perstirometer
(James H. Heal)
19. Resistance To Heat (100ºC For 8 Hrs.) Hot Air Oven
20. Resistance To Humidity (40ºC-95% RH For 8 Hrs.) Humidity Chamber

21, Steaming In Auto-clave (100ºC For 1 Hrs.) Auto-clave