Automotive sector applications

TPEE or COPE applications are in the automotive sector for blow-moulded boots and bellows, wires and cables, industrial hoses needing a higher rigidity, good heat resistance, good fatigue endurance and tear strength. 

MPR competes with crosslinked nitrile rubber for demanding applications (in the automotive sector, for example) needing oil and grease resistance, noise dampening, stress relaxation similar to vulcanized rubber, good bonding to PVC, PC, ABS. 

TPE/PVC targets general-purpose applications mainly in the automotive sector but also in construction, industrial, consumer goods, packaging, electrical electronics applications for various moulded and extruded technical goods, soft-touch overmoulding, grips. .. 

The largest area of application for ASA is the automotive sector [91,92]. Almost all automotive manufacturers use ASA for unpainted exterior parts such as mirror housings, radiator grills, cowl vent grills and pillar covers. 

The primary benefit of magnesium in structural applications is its low density which is two-thirds that of aluminum. However, the use of magnesium alloys in the automotive sector continues to be restricted for more arduous applications where improved designs have increased component temperatures. Creep is considered a most important factor at working temperatures at or more than 423 K. 

Coatings on glass and polymers are found today in an increasing number ranging from the architectural and automotive sector, the diverse applications in technical and scientific optics to various sophisticated high-tech structures. Coatings are used in practically all optical and electro-optical devices. They are frequently the ultimate determinants of performance. 

PET/Elastomers. This blend features good stiffness, impact strength, and processability. Applications are in the automotive sector, such as in body parts, steering wheels, and under-the-hood components. 

In terms of security, they are often irreplaceable. This is the case of the airbag in automobiles. Without polymers, how can we achieve this protective ball With a pig s bladder But then, how to integrate onto this skin the very sophisticated technology which allows the liberating explosion of the ball without injuring the driver There is no solution outside the plasticity of polymers. So, today, 50% of plastics applications in the automotive sector are no longer substitutable. 

PPS is used in chemical process plants for gear pumps. It has found application in the automotive sector, in such specific uses as carburetor parts, ignition plates, flow control values for heating systems, and exhaust-gas return valves to control pollution. The material also finds uses in sterilizable medical, dental, and general laboratory equipment, cooking appliance, and hair dryer components. 

Decades ago, few would have expected the automotive sector to be such a large consumer of POs—lowly "commodity" materials. But vehicle applications have become a high-end market for PP and TPOs (compounds of PP, mbber, and filler) and this sector has driven the growth of these materials into other engineering-type applications. 

EPP is currently used in transport packaging applications and, increasingly, in the automotive sector. Examples of articles made from this material include side-on collision protection elements, sun visors, column and door moldings and bumper core elements (Eigs. 26-30). EPS is used mainly for packaging and heat insulation in the construction industry (Table 7). 

Fuel cells are currently considered to be among the most significant future technologies. Their use in the automotive sector has been an object of intensive efforts for some years now. Another potential future use is as an energy source for portable electronic devices (laptop, handy, etc.). Both of these application sectors address mass markets in which the system price also influences market entry. The simpler... 

Polypropylene nanocomposites are remarkable for their better mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength and modulus, and for their dimensional stability. They have a wide range of applications in the automotive sector [7-11]. The PP composites are used in automotive industry as battery supports, instmment panel carriers, body panel reinforcements, front-end modulus, underbody aerodynamic covers, electronic boxes, pedals and their supports, door panels and door modules, bumper beams, fender extensions, wheel covers, hub caps, and trim rings for wheels (Fig. 11.4). 

As driven by the growing demand for durable bioplastics, the recent trend in the market for renewable polymers is to now focus on their implementation into important high-added-value sectors such as the electronics and automotive sectors [9]. This will therefore boost both industrial and economic values of renewable polymers in the context of long-lasting applications. However, the main challenge faced by manufacturers of these renewable polymers is to impart them the same performance and processing characteristics as the existing petropolymers at affordable prices. 

Expandable graphite has been used in flexible PU foams for public transport seating, in trains, buses and aircraft. Applications in the automotive sector are being examined, as are its uses in rigid PU foam for insulating materials. 

The chapter demonstrates that in spite of the incompatibility between hydrophilic natural fibres and hydrophobic polymeric matrices, the properties of natural fibre composites can be enhanced through chemical modifications. The chemical treatments have therefore played a key role in the increased applications of natural fibre composites in the automotive sector. Recent work has also shown that if some of the drawbacks of natural fibres can be adequately addressed, these materials can easily replace glass fibres in many applications. The chapter has also shown that there have been attempts to use natural fibre composites in structural applications, an area which has been hitherto the reserve of synthetic fibres like glass and aramid. The use of polymer nanocomposites in applications of natural fibre-reinforced composites, though at infancy, may provide means to address these efficiencies. Evidence-based life-cycle assessment of natural fibre-reinforced composites is required to build confidence in the green composites applications in automotive sector. 

The GMA clear coatings have outstanding exterior durability, hence their acceptance in the automotive sector (see Fig. 2). Pigmented GMA acrylic powders have not foimd widespread use in market areas other than automotive, eg, architectural applications. Hydroxyl functional acrylic resins cured with blocked isocyanates or uretdione-based curatives have also found use in automotive applications and their exterior durability is only somewhat less than that of the GMA acrylic powders (50). Carboxyl functional acrylic resins are also commercially available. They can be cured with TGIC for exterior applications or with bisphenol A epoxy resins. The latter combinations are sometimes called acrylic-epoxy hybrid coating powders and are noted for their excellent hardness, stain, and chemical resistance. They find use primarily in appliance coatings (79). 

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