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Abstract:
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Automotive interior fabric manufacturers have been confronted with an increase in
consumer demand for comfort and styling options. To satisfy demand, automotive
interior fabric manufacturers are researching for new developments in the design,
materials, processing and construction of fabrics that achieve the specific performance
characteristics required by the automotive market.
The most versatile technology that can produce automotive interior fabrics is warp
knitting. The machines, especially the double needle bar Raschel machine, which fall
within the warp knitting category allow an assortment of patterns while producing soft
handed pile fabric at high efficiency rates. Therefore, to supply the demand for more
stylized design features, fabric manufactures have placed more attention upon the
development of fibers and yarn.
This research provides an understanding of how fiber denier and fiber crosssectional
modification of 100 % polyester plied air jet spun yarn affected the aesthetic
and performance characteristics of Raschel velour automotive fabric. The study also
determined the similarities and differences between Raschel velour fabrics produced
from polyester filament yarns in the pile and fabrics produced from plied air jet spun
polyester yarn in the pile.
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