NONWOVEN FABRICS CONTAINING NATURAL FIBERS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

摘要

In recent years, there has been a major upsurge in research on the use of recyclable materials in manufactured products. This has triggered a need for biodegradable nonwovens for nearly 40 automotive interior components which currently contain traditional, well established materials such as glass and other manufactured fibers and foams that are hard-to-recycle. By incorporating economical and biodegradable natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton and bast fibers (kenaf, jute, hemp, flax, etc.) in the automotive woven and nonwoven fabrics, their biodegradibility can be enhanced. Also, because of the difference in densities of natural fibers and glass fibers, the natural fiber-based fabrics may be lighter than those having glass fibers, which may be good for a desired lightweight "green car." Preliminary studies have also shown that cellulosic fiber-based fabrics are efficient sound absorbers, which should aid in reducing noise level inside the vehicle. In this paper, we briefly described fabrication and the physical, mechanical and acoustical properties of some needlepunched thermoformable nonwoven fabrics for certain automotive interior applications. These fabrics were developed by using cotton, kenaf and other bast fibers in various blends with inexpensive recycled polyester (PET), and off-quality polypropylene (PP). Successful use of natural fibers in automotive fabrics would be environmentally benign, which should lead to a considerable expansion in cultivation of these important agricultural commodities.