A Study on the Flow Experiment and Analysis of Unifoamable Ventilation Kit with Automobile Seat Pad

Abstract

This study examined the ventilation flow kit for automotive seats, one of the key components of automotive interior comfort technology. The research focuses on improving the performance of the existing Plenum-type airflow system with a new ventilation flow research model. The new research model simplifies the shape of the airflow path compared to the existing product, reducing air turbulence during flow. Simultaneously, embossing is applied to the lower surface of the airflow path to generate a swirling motion of mixed air inside, achieving a uniform airflow velocity at each ventilation outlet. The existing product and the research model were designed, and fluid dynamics analysis was conducted to validate the performance improvement of the improved research model. Prototypes were also manufactured and subjected to performance evaluation tests. Fluid dynamics analysis showed that the average airflow velocity at the ventilation outlets was 2.88 m/s for the existing product, whereas the research model achieved an average velocity of 6.22 m/s, representing an approximate 116 % improvement in performance compared to the existing product. Furthermore, the uniformity of airflow velocity was enhanced by approximately 195 %. The performance testing results indicated that the existing product exhibited an average airflow velocity of 2.76 m/s, whereas the research model demonstrated an average velocity of 5.41 m/s, resulting in 96.01 % performance improvement.