Exploring the mechanical potential of 3D woven solid structures for car seat cover

Abstract

Seats serve as the primary connection point between humans and cars. To meet consumer expectations, the seat cover must possess mechanical durability. This is crucial due to the significance and expense associated with the assembling car seat cover. The mechanical durability of a material can be assessed by testing its tensile strength, tearing strength, stretchability, abrasion resistance, and pilling resistance. Many researchers conducted analyses on the mechanical performance of traditional seat covers. This study aims to explore the mechanical potential of 3D woven solid structures for car seat covers. Air-texturized polyester yarn (ATY) was utilized to produce various 3D woven solid structures and compared to benchmark 2D fabric seat covers with equivalent areal density. Placing three sets of yarn in the x, y, and z axes enhanced the structural integrity and distributed the stress evenly, which helped to boost the mechanical performance of 3D structures. The study concluded that 3D woven structures have the potential for mechanical performance and are expected to be utilized as car seat covers in the near future.