This paper has demonstrated how two innovative material solutions, one in the development of a long-fibre thermoplastic composite (LGF-PP) and one in the area of adhesive bonding technology have been combined to create the opportunity to design an effective automotive solution. In particular, the incorporation of long-glass fibres into a formulated polypropylene-based polymer matrix has improved the structural, impact, and dimensional performance such that the lower cost, highly processable plastic can be used in difficult engineering applications. Opportunities for use of this material will abound in structural applications such as impingement shields, instrument panels, package shelves, load floors, door panels, and in front end carriers. The development of a unique adhesive solution to bond low energy surface, such as that of the PP matrix, to untreated metals has allowed the creation of robust multi-material engineering designs that are ideally suited for applications such as FEC's. The optimization of these materials in concert with a trend in engineering design towards modularity has generated the opportunity for implementation of the bonded hybrid FEC concept. The performance validation data has demonstrated that such bonded hybrid composite FEC solutions can provide many benefits, such as reduced cost and weight, improved performance versus other fastener or overmoulded designs, and increased design flexibility, especially within the constraints of limited packaging space. The paper has outlined three case studies of this success available on commercial vehicles today.
Injection molded long glass fibre polypropylene composites for automotive front end carrier applications
Spritzgegossene Glas-Langfaser/Polypropylen-Verbundwerkstoffe für die Anwendung beim Fahrzeugvorbau
2007
13 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 6 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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