Automotive Textiles

R & D, testing – Textile expertise for automobiles

The Institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering (ITV) Denkendorf has been active in the development, testing, and damage analysis of automobiles and automotive textiles over many years. This includes the following

• fuel / air filters
• tarpaulins
• cover materials and wind-breaking mesh nets for convertibles
• airbags and safety belts
• compounds for structural components
• interior and decorative moldings
• seat covers and protectors
• seat moldings
• carpet and insulation materials
• cord-reinforced tyres
• drive belts (cord: liners, V-belts, timing belts)
• hoses (cord: liners, brakes, hydraulic and cooler hoses).

The demand for quality materials is steadily increasing owing to the high safety standards and long product life required by automotive textiles. Total quality control therefore is necessary to meet these challenges. Automotive manufacturers have joined together to work out the necessary specifications for the performance of a comparison analysis of test methods and reports.
A large number of these types of tests can be run in the certified laboratories of the ITV. These include mechanical, chemical, and biophysiological testing, analyses of electrostatic behavior, tests on electrical field protection effect and also accelerated environmental simulations (environmentally influenced aging behavior of textiles under sunlight, UV-radiation, ozone, acids, sand, dust, mechanical stresses, etc.).
The activities mainly concentrate on the following aspects

• development of finishings applying nanotechnology for extreme resistance to soiling, catalytic cleaning, reduction of electrostatic charge, Velcro fastness
• nano-scale fibers and Lotus-effect nano surfaces for the improvement of air and liquid filters
• raising the adhesiveness of bonding substances using effective and low-energy processes
• development of smart materials with new functions involving sensors, actuators, active layering, and luminous materials – based on micro-system technology
• implementation of bionic ideas concerning composite materials – to develop lightweight materials and to enable the reduction of production cost.

Research projects in this area can be accessed here.
Publications can be accessed here.

Contact:
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Stegmaier
Tel.: +49 (0)7 11 / 93 40 - 219
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