Prediction model for the analysis of the haptic perception of textiles

In order to stand out from the competition, the quality of a product as subjectively perceived by the customer is becoming increasingly important. If one wants to meet the comprehensive customer requirements, it is no longer sufficient today to develop a product that focuses only on the functional aspects, but it must also fulfil the sensory requirements at the same time. In this paper, a systematic approach is described that first describes the objectification of customer language for describing the textile haptics of automotive interior materials (11 headliners and 15 seat materials). For this purpose, ten textile-specific descriptors were developed in an expert panel. The descriptors used and the measurement of the human-haptic system are summarized in 4 main groups: 1. warmth/cold sensation, 2. friction properties, 3. deformation, 4. surface/topography. Furthermore, the human-tactile parameters (pressure, speed) that humans exert when touching textile surfaces were determined. The human-sensory product evaluation of the textiles was carried out with 116 test persons. Comparative statistical analyses of the technical parameters (e.g. roughness, friction coefficient, wetting index, deformation) and the human characteristics made it possible to create a prognosis model for determining the quality perception of textile car interior materials.

Functional Investigation on Automotive Interior Materials Based on Variable Knitted Structural Parameters

With the rapid development of technical textiles, more and more researchers have focused on developing high performance textiles to meet various needs. The automotive industry is a major market for technical textiles. Compared to other types of fabric, weft-knitted fabric has good extensibility and elasticity, as well as a hand-feel, and it is gradually becoming the preferred type of interior fabric for automobiles. This paper aims to develop an automotive fabric with good comfort and durability. Sixteen types of weft-knitted fabrics with eight different structures and two different materials (draw textured polyester and textured polyamide yarn) were fabricated using a computerized flat knitting machine. Their durability and level of comfort were examined by measuring the tensile and tear strengths, abrasion resistance and air permeability. A fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was employed to compare the comprehensive properties of the fabric. The results indicated that the overall performance of DTPA fabric was better than DTPE fabric, and an optimum structure was selected for an automotive interior. Meanwhile, we found that the air permeability of the fabric could be increased by using tuck stitches and that the strength and dimensional stability of fabric could be increased by adding tuck stitches and weft-insert yarns. The findings contribute to the field of technical textiles and provide ideas for the development of high-performance textiles.