Automotive
“In automotive design, plastics have contributed to a multitude of innovations in safety, performance and fuel efficiency.
Safety: Made from durable strands of polyester fiber, seat belts alone have reportedly helped save 11,000 lives each year, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Airbags, commonly made from high-strength nylon fabric, can reduce the risk of dying in a direct, frontal car crash by about 30%, according to NHTSA statistics. And child safety seats made possible by numerous advancements in polymer science help protect youngsters“at every turn.”
Weight Reductionis a key driver in boosting fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and lowering costs for motorists. Many plastic components can weigh 50%less than similar components made from other materials. Thatis one reason why
Plastics deliver engineering and styling qualities whenever innovation and high performance are demanded. In exterior applications, from bumper to bumper, plastics are not only light in weight, they also give designers the freedom to create innovative concepts that in many instances would otherwise be impractical or impossible. Plastics also resist dents, dings, stone chips and corrosion. They allow cost-saving part consolidation and facilitate modular assembly practices for reduced production costs.
For interiors, plastics have been nothing less than revolutionary. They have proven to be excellent materialsfor creating comfortable, durable and aesthetically pleasing interior components, while enhancing occupant protectionandreducing noise and vibration levels.
“Plastics don’t stop there. In electrical, power train, fuel, chassis and engine applications, they’re proving to be strong, durable, corrosion-resistant and able to withstand high temperatures in harsh engine environments.”
Recent Journal Articles
“Feasibility of Using Bio-Degradable Plastic for Automotive Applications in Typical Australian Weather”, Mazumder and Sbarski, Swinburne University of Technology (Society of Plastics Engineering Annual Technical Conference, 5/1/2010)
Biodegradable plastic in automotives can greatly help in reducing the recycling issues of End of Life Vehicles (ELV). The experimental results show that biodegradable plastic has good ability to retain its mechanical properties under weathering tests. Though there was a reduction of tensile properties for polypropylene due to UV radiation but there was no major change for biodegradable plastic and terblend N. However, calculation of toughness before and after the UV radiation showed that there is a degradation of properties for terblend N and polypropylene but no change for biodegradable plastic. In conclusion we can recommend biodegradable plastic for automotive application and in typical Australian weather they are capable of sustaining few decades without major difficulties which have been found from the experiments. (RDC 5/7/2011)