New improvements to automotive headliners:From passenger sedans and coupes to SUVsand trucks

摘要

Every motorised vehicle driver knows that above his head is an outer thin metal sheet (or eventually a composite of kind) car body doubled with an inner liner, called a "headliner", that makes the cabin "people-friendly", provides protection from excessive heat, cold or noise while being gentle to touch and easy on eyes. Some may even know that eventually this liner may have hidden functions too, like those required for holding an increasing array of different electric-electronic, entertainment and safety devices. Common sense lets us to comprehend that the span of the car roof between the supporting pillars may determine the needed mechanical strength values of this self-supporting inner liner and its added accessories. Again, some technology buffs may envisage the need for this strength as being linked with the fully robotised car manufacturing process of today, when placing a large item inside a car body has to happen with a few accurate and simple movements. Strength, achieved in the past through weight increase is not an option today in our energy conscious world, nor is an increased stiffness or an excessive contact with the outer cabin roof due to increased probability of vibration transmittance and even eventual amplification.