Today more than ever, car interiors are influenced by the consumer. Because car users are constantly in contact with the seats, seat covers have become one of the most important factors affecting the comfort and well-being of car users. Textiles used for car seat upholstery are an important segment of the vehicle's visual identity, so their design is of paramount importance. The required properties are mainly load resistance, abrasion resistance, UV resistance, resistance to static electricity, etc. In the last decade, car manufacturers have revived old models in new guises and incorporated retro elements into their new models. Retro design not only provides a recognisable look, but also an understanding of what the new car model is all about. The aim of the research was to test the suitability of flat knitting technology for the production of car seat covers and to select the optimum yarn or combination of yarns that offer the technical properties of knitted fabrics for car seat covers. The aim of the research was to develop a modern, durable and dimensionally stable knitted car seat cover with a retro jacquard pattern. We transferred the selected retro woven pattern for car seat covers into a double jacquard knitted structure. The knitting pattern was made on an industrial flat knitting machine SHIMA SEIKI SES 122 RT, gauge 12E. Twisted yarn made of 100% merino wool was used for knitting, and polyamide filament was incorporated into the selected samples to reinforce the structure. Part of the samples was treated with finishing agent ECO-FLAM for flame retardancy. We found that it is recommended to incorporate polyamide threads into the knitted structure to prevent the formation of bagging deformations. The flame retardant finish does not affect the elastic properties of the knitted fabrics studied. The addition of a reinforcing polyamide filament reduces the air permeability of the fabrics by about 25 %. The flame retardant treatment with ECO-FLAM has little effect on the air permeability of the fabric. The thermal conductivity of knitted fabrics increases with the addition of a reinforcing polyamide filament and the flame retardant finish. Knitted fabrics with additional reinforcing polyamide filament, finished with ECO-FLAM are abrasion and pilling resistant. Finishing with ECO-FLAM is effective. Knitted fabrics made of 100 % wool and wool with reinforcing polyamide filament are resistant to burning and smouldering.
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