Enhancing the properties of nylon 66 fabric coated with a combination of PVA and SiO ₂ nanoparticles composite for vehicle airbag application

Due to increase in fabric thickness and decrease compactness in packing, film bonding is unfavorable for airbag fabrics, furthermore, the uncoated fabric fabricated with a high density but it still has hot gas leakage problems. This study focuses on enhancement of vehicle airbag nylon 66 fabric properties by using a combination of different concentration of silica nanoparticles (SiO ₂ NPs) and low-density adhesion polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The results illustrated that the nylon 66 fabric, which coated with PVA and SiO ₂ NPs presents an excellent property such as a thin layer reached at (0.009 mm), also thermal and mechanical properties have been enhanced to include better mechanical properties according to commercial guidelines airbag of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Additionally, the weight per square meter of nylon 66 fabric coated with the PVA and high concentration of SiO ₂ NPs is 9.9 grams. Besides, the final dry weight of the coating (PVA/SiO ₂ ) material taken by the nylon 66 fabric is just 0.4 grams per square meter. The coated fabric demonstrated a hydrophobicity property in addition to the air-permeability has decreased by increasing the amount of SiO ₂ NPs in the composite material. The PVA and SiO ₂ NPs dispersed on the surface of the fabrics without any aggregation, as well, the coated fabric is gradually changed from flexible to hard which resulted in the better final performance in the proper and regular thickness along the whole fabric.