Influence of top coated cloth for sitting comfort of car driver's seat

A sitting comfort of seven automotive seats, whose top coated cloths were changed and shape and structure of seats were the same, was evaluated by only human tactile sensation while sitting on these seats. The adjectives used for the sensory evaluation of seat comfort by the human tactile sensation were examined by factor analysis. As the result of factor analysis, the sitting comfort of driver's seats was evaluated by two adjectives "high-class" and "warm and smooth". The evaluated adjectives of top coated cloth, namely "hard", "smooth", "voluminous", "warm", "sporty", and "high-class" are closely related to same adjectives of the seat comfort. From the correlations between physical properties of top coated cloth and sensory evaluations for seat, it is found that the "sporty", the "high-class", the "warm", and the "smooth" feelings of seat are correlated to physical properties, namely surface friction and thermal character, of top coated cloths used in the surface of seat. The body pressure on the back-rest has a negative correlation with "stiff at the cushion"; the contact area on the back-rest has a positive correlation with "held by the cushion of seat and by the back-rest", and "stiff at the cushion and at the back-rest", and has a negative correlation with "smooth". It was found that the "hold" and the "stiff" feelings were judged by the contact area between the back-rest and the back of human body.