A trim piece made of woven textile and polymer, particularly for motor vehicles.

Abstract

The invention relates primarily to a covering piece comprising a woven textile covering a hardened polymer substrate, which woven textile is partially embedded in said hardened polymer. The hardened polymer occupies at least the spaces between the warp and weft yarns without completely covering the covering face of the textile, such that said covering face comprises an alternation of hardened polymer and warp and / or weft yarns of the woven textile. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Trim piece made of woven textile and polymer, particularly for motor vehicles technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of decorative trim parts for motor vehicles. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a trim part. PRIOR ART AND DISADVANTAGES OF PRIOR ART

[0002] Textile trim pieces are well known in the automotive industry. These pieces are mainly found in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Examples include door panels, the interior of the front window base, and the central pillar between the front and rear windows.

[0003] These parts must meet several requirements. First, they must be structurally sound, that is, have sufficient structural strength to ensure, in particular, their function as fasteners. This structural strength is generally provided by the presence of a polymer layer, for example, polypropylene. The cladding parts must also provide an aesthetic effect on their facing side.

[0004] It is known to produce these garment pieces by injecting molten polymer onto the back side of the garment fabric in an injection molding machine. A non-woven fabric, impermeable to the molten polymer, is first placed on the back side of the garment fabric, thus preventing any mixing of the polymer with the garment fabric. The resulting garment piece consists of three layers: the garment fabric, the non-woven fabric, and the hardened polymer.

[0005] While such garments are satisfactory in terms of appearance, they require the use of a material, non-woven textile, which serves no function in the garment's use, unnecessarily increasing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, any aesthetic modification of the garment requires the use of a different textile, thus limiting the possibilities for aesthetic changes. OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention aims to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages by offering a trim piece with reduced manufacturing cost and capable of providing a greater choice in aesthetics. Description of the invention

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a garment which is essentially characterized in that it comprises a woven textile covering a hardened polymer substrate, which woven textile is partially embedded in said hardened polymer which occupies at least the interstices between the warp and weft yarns without totally covering the facing face of the textile so that said facing face has an alternation of hardened polymer and warp and / or weft yarns of the woven textile.

[0008] The cover piece of the invention does not include a non-woven textile layer, which reduces its manufacturing costs compared to cover pieces of the prior art. Furthermore, the absence of a non-woven textile layer allows the polymer to permeate the cover fabric, providing both mechanical strength and an aesthetic effect. During the manufacturing process, the molten polymer fills at least the spaces between the warp and weft threads of the fabric, revealing its color on the cover side. Thus, by using the same fabric and changing the color of the polymer, it is possible to modulate the overall aesthetic effect of the cover piece, thereby offering multiple aesthetic choices.Moreover, the presence of only two materials (woven textile and polymer) ensures simpler recycling than for the garment of the earlier art which contains three different materials.

[0009] The invention thus runs counter to what was sought in the prior art, namely, an absence of contact between the polymer and the covering textile. By forcing this contact, to the point of partially immersing the covering textile in the molten polymer, it is possible to produce a covering garment that meets the requirements in this field, without using non-woven textiles.

[0010] The casing part of the invention may also include the following optional features considered individually or according to all possible technical combinations: - the woven textile has a plain weave or a twill weave. - the weft and warp threads are the same color. - the weft threads and the warp threads are different colors. - The polymer is polypropylene. The invention also includes a method for manufacturing the cover piece thus defined, which is essentially characterized in that it comprises at least the following steps: - positioning and holding the woven textile in an injection mold, - holding the two parts of the mold under pressure against each other using a press, - injection under pressure of liquid polymer onto the back side of the woven textile until the polymer has at least filled the spaces between the warp and weft yarns and covered said back side of the textile, - cooling of the part obtained, and - ejection of the lining part from the mold.

[0011] The process may also include the following optional features considered individually or in all possible technical combinations: - the polymer is polypropylene, and it is injected under a pressure of between 50 and 150 Bars. - prior to its positioning in the mold, the woven textile undergoes a stretching of 5 to 10% of its initial surface area.

[0012] The invention also relates to the use of the previously defined trim piece to create a decorative element in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. PRESENTATION OF FIGURES

[0013] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the description given below, by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying figures, among which: [Fig. 1] Fig. 1 schematically represents a first step in the manufacturing process of the garment of the invention in which the textile is positioned and held in position in the mold of an injection molding machine, [Fig.2] Fig.2 schematically represents a second step in the manufacturing process of the garment of the invention in which the molten polymer is injected directly onto the back face of the garment textile, [Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the garment component of the invention according to a first embodiment, which component is made from a woven textile having a plain weave and a light-colored polymer, and [Fig.4] Fig.4 is a schematic representation of the garment piece of the invention according to a second embodiment, which piece is made from a woven textile having a twill weave and a dark coloured polymer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] It is first specified that in the figures, the same references designate the same elements regardless of the figure in which they appear and regardless of the form of representation of these elements. Similarly, if elements are not specifically referenced in one of the figures, their references can easily be found by referring to another figure.

[0015] It is also specified that the figures essentially represent one embodiment of the object of the invention but that there may be other embodiments which meet the definition of the invention.

[0016] The invention relates to a trim piece, in particular for making parts intended to cover certain parts of a motor vehicle interior, in particular, and without limitation, door panels, the inside of the front window base or the middle pillar between the front and rear windows.

[0017] The covering piece of the invention is two-layered in that it comprises a layer of woven textile on a polymer substrate. The woven textile is also partially embedded in the same polymer. More precisely, the polymer occupies at least the spaces between the warp and weft yarns of the woven textile and may extend beyond these spaces on the side facing the covering piece without completely covering this side. Thus, on its side facing the covering, the covering piece of the invention presents an alternation of polymer and warp and / or weft yarns.

[0018] Any woven textile with interstices can be used within the scope of the invention. However, the invention more advantageously provides for the use of, as preferred, two woven textiles having respectively a plain weave and a twill weave. These two weaves are well known in the prior art.

[0019] Plain weave is a weave in which odd and even threads alternate with each weft pass, over and under the weft. Twill is a weave characterized by regular diagonal ribs on the right side, produced by the shifting of the weft threads by one thread with each weft pass. The weft thread passes under a warp thread, then over several other warp threads, shifting by one thread with each pass. Unlike plain weave, twill has a right side and a wrong side.

[0020] In the context of the invention, a woven textile with warp and weft yarns of the same color may be used, or a woven textile with one color for the weft yarns and another color for the warp yarns. It may also be provided that the warp and / or weft yarns have several different colors. On the final garment, the color of the polymer, which will occupy at least the spaces between the warp and weft yarns, will be added to these different colors.

[0021] The polymer is chosen from among those polymers suitable for use in an injection molding process. While not limited to these, polypropylene is preferred.

[0022] The manufacturing process for the trim piece of the invention is described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. This process is an injection molding process, the general aspects of which are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0023] Figures 1 and 2 show part of the injection molding machine, and more particularly the mold 1, the moving platen 2, the fixed platen 3, and the polymer injection channel 4. The woven textile 5 is inserted between the two parts of the mold 1 and held in this position by pressing the two parts of the mold 1 against each other. Preferably, the woven textile will have been previously stretched using a suitable frame by approximately 5 to 10% of its initial surface area in order to widen the gaps between the warp threads. and of the weft and facilitate the passage of the molten polymer within the textile.

[0024] Figure 2 illustrates the injection step of the molten polymer 6, for example, polypropylene. The polypropylene is injected onto the back side 7 of the woven textile 5, which is opposite the outer surface 8 intended to be visible to the user. The injection is carried out according to the following operating conditions: - The tooling temperature is approximately 20°C. - Polypropylene is heated to a temperature between 220 and 270°C, preferably 250°C. - the clamping force of the press is between 50 and 150 kg / cm2, preferably 100 kg / cm2, and - The injection pressure of polypropylene is between 50 and 150 bars, preferably 100 bars.

[0025] After cooling and hardening of the polypropylene 6, the part is removed from the mold 1, this two-layer part composed of the woven textile 5 partially embedded in the polymer 6 and the layer of hardened polymer 6 constituting the covering part of the invention 9.

[0026] As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, during the injection, the polymer 6 passes through the thickness of the textile 5, filling at least the gaps between the weft and warp yarns.

[0027] More specifically, and with reference to [Fig. 3], when the woven textile 5a has a plain weave, illustrated by way of example with light gray weft yarns 10a and dark gray warp yarns 1la, and the polymer 6a is white, the facing 8a of the resulting garment 9a comprises alternating white polymer 6a, light gray weft yarns 10a, and dark gray warp yarns 1la. This results in a facing 8a of the garment 9a composed of three colors.

[0028] The covering piece 9a has been schematically represented as comprising hardened polymer 6a in the interstices 12a of the woven textile 5a, but also in the areas where the weft yarns pass under the warp yarns and vice versa. However, this representation is schematic because, while the polymer does fill the interstices 12a, it spreads more randomly over the areas adjacent to the interstices 12a, depending on the surface texture of this textile 5a.

[0029] With reference to [Fig. 3], when the woven textile 5a has a twill weave, illustrated by way of example with light gray weft yarns 10b and dark gray warp yarns 11b, and the polymer 6b is black, the facing 8b of the resulting garment piece 9b comprises alternating black polymer 6b, light gray weft yarns 10b, and dark gray warp yarns 11b. This results in a facing 8b of the garment piece 9b composed of three colors.

[0030] The trim piece 9b has also been schematically represented as comprising hardened polymer 6b at the interstices 12b of the woven textile 5b, but also at the points where weft threads pass under warp threads and vice versa. However, as with plain weave, this representation is schematic, since while the polymer 6b does fill the interstices 12b, it spreads more randomly over the adjacent areas of the interstices 12b according to the surface texture of this textile 5b.

[0031] The trim piece of the invention 9, 9a, 9b finally has a fit allowing it to be used as a trim piece in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

Claims

Demands

1. A garment, characterized in that it comprises a woven textile (5,5a,5b) covering a hardened polymer substrate (6,6a,6b), which woven textile (5,5a,5b) is partially embedded in said hardened polymer (6,6a,6b) which occupies at least the interstices (12a, 12b) between the warp yarns (11a,11b) and the weft yarns (10a,10b) without totally covering the garment face (8a,8b) of the textile (5,5a,5b) so that said garment face (8a,8b) comprises an alternation of hardened polymer (6,6a,6b) and warp yarns (11a,11b) and / or weft yarns (10a, 10b) of the woven textile (5,5a,5b).

2. Clothing item according to claim 1, characterized in that the woven textile has a plain weave (5a) or a twill weave (5b).

3. A trim piece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the polymer (6,6a,6b) is polypropylene.

4. A method for manufacturing the garment part of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least the steps of: i. positioning and holding the woven textile (5,5a,5b) in an injection mold (1), ii. holding the two parts of the mold (1) under pressure against each other by a press, iii. injecting liquid polymer under pressure into the back side (7) of the woven textile (5,5a,5b) until the polymer (6,6a,6b) has at least filled the gaps (12a, 12b) between the warp yarns (11a, 11b) and the weft yarns (10a,10b) and covered said back side (7) of the textile (5,5a,5b), iv. cooling the resulting part, and v. ejecting the garment part (9,9a,9b) from the mold.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the polymer (6,6a,6b) is polypropylene, and in that it is injected under a pressure between 50 and 150 Bars.

6. A method according to any one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that prior to its positioning in the mold (1), the woven textile (5,5a,5b) undergoes a stretching of 5 to 10% of its initial surface.

7. Use of the cover piece of claims 1 to 3 to achieve a decorative element in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

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