The transportation industry — and the automotive industry, in particular — requires a wide range of specialty technical materials. As the leading designer and producer of woven and non-woven materials for the automotive sector, Tex Tech Industries is proud to offer both friction materials and fire blocking materials — two of the most critical components for optimal vehicle safety.
Ensuring passenger safety in the event of an accident, flame retardant materials are particularly important in the automotive industry; in order to meet stringent manufacturing standards, manufacturers must utilize materials that can hold up well to wear and tear while resisting high temperatures. In emergency situations, reliable fire-blocking materials can mean the difference between life and death.
Over the years, Tex Tech has supplied thousands of yards of flame retardant materials for use in vehicle interiors and thousands more yards of friction materials for use in critical engine components. Aside from offering a range of standard woven and non-woven automotive materials, Tex Tech material scientists can also partner with you to design, prototype, develop, and manufacture automotive materials uniquely suited to your precise needs.
Friction Material
A friction material is any type of woven or non-woven material designed to create or facilitate a particular contact interaction between parts. In the automotive industry, that contact interaction is usually greater friction. To function properly, friction materials must meet a number of performance standards, namely high-energy absorption requirements — which, in the case of most automotive applications, means heat resistance and a high coefficient of friction are needed.
Friction materials today are manufactured, molded, or otherwise shaped as the application requires, and then bonded to the part that requires increased friction. In automobiles, braking systems and clutches make the most frequent use of friction materials. In particular, friction materials are used to allow the proper functioning of brake bands, brake blocks, brake facing, brake lining, brake pads, disc brake pads, and brake shoes, as well as clutch discs, clutch facing, clutch sets, and dual-clutch assemblies.
Other automotive applications requiring friction material include friction discs, non-clutch transmission components, gear tooth facings used in a variety of components, torque converters, synchronizers, limited-slip differentials, and inertia brakes. Friction material is also used in sporting applications, such as fishing rod drag reels.
Primarily using oxidized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, Tex Tech develops friction material for various automotive and sporting applications.
Automotive Fire-Blocking Expertise
The team Tex Tech has deep knowledge of automotive fire-blocking materials. In fact, our fire-blocking materials are used throughout the automotive industry for applications including car and truck seating, as well as in planes, trains, buses, and cruise ships.
These non-woven sub-layer fabrics are usually used in seat cushions, seat covers, and flame barriers underneath the top layer of material, which is generally designed for optimal aesthetics and comfort. Fire-blocking materials from Tex Tech are designed to meet or exceed some of the strictest transportation industry performance and safety standards. These include:
14 CFR 25.853 (a)
CS-25 Clause 25.853 (a)
European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification
FAR/JAR 25.853 (a) Appendix F Part 1 (a) 1 (ii)
Depending on the particular end use and required standards, fire-blocking materials from Tex Tech are crafted with specialty blends of a range of fibers, including aramid and polybenzimidazole (PBI).
Work With Tex Tech
Tex Tech has been designing and manufacturing industry-leading technical fabrics since 1904. Our expertise in producing high-performance friction material and fire-blocking material for the automotive industry, and the transportation industry as a whole, is unparalleled. With manufacturing facilities located in the US, Europe and Asia, we are well positioned to support your needs.
To learn more about our lines of friction and fire retardant materials, or to discuss your unique needs with an expert, contact us today.
