Influence of Yarn Texturization and Lamination Process on Thermal Properties of E-Glass Knitted Fabric

The rapid advancement in technical textiles has widened the scope of high-performance materials to address specific requirements in the industrial sector. The automotive sector is a key market for technical textiles, which require specific functions such as thermal insulation of components in the engine chamber. The existing thermal insulation materials face challenges, such as poor formability, delamination, and rigidity. Weft-knitted fabrics stand out for their excellent extensibility and elasticity, amongst the various types of fabrics. This study, therefore, focuses on developing 1 × 1 rib weft-knitted fabrics of E-glass fibre laminated with aluminium foil to analyse their thermal protective performance. Fabric samples were produced using untextured and texturized E-glass multi-filament yarn, and their laminated counterparts were prepared. The thermal protective performance was assessed in contact heat at 100 °C and 250 °C, radiant heat at 40 kW/m² and 80 kW/m², and flame exposure test at 80 kW/m². The results depict that the fabric made of texturized E-glass multi-filamentyarn provided better thermal protection performance in all three modes of heat transfer tests, particularly in double-layer configurations. Laminated fabrics demonstrated enhanced thermal performance, showing higher threshold time than non-laminated fabrics, suggesting potential applications requiring high thermal insulation.