Development of Laminated Knitted Fabrics with Improved Performance Properties for Automotive Upholstery

The aim of this study was to develop car seat fabrics with better thermal properties than the conventional automotive upholstery fabrics currently used in cars. For this purpose, knitted fabrics were produced using three different special polyester yarns, with high thermal properties and produced in three different fabric structures, to determine the effects of material type and fabric structure. Conventional polyester yarn was also used for comparison purposes. In order to examine the performance properties of the upholstery fabrics in real conditions, the fabrics were laminated with foam and scrim. The automotive upholstery laminated fabrics were then tested for various performance and thermal properties. The results revealed that all samples met the requirements of automotive upholstery performance tests. In addition, the laminated fabric knitted with Type C yarn using an eyelet-12 structure demonstrated the best thermal properties. This laminated fabric could be suggested for car seats due to its higher thermal conductivity, higher air permeability, good water vapour permeability, and lighter, thinner structure.