Plastics intake manifolds

Mukawa T. Development of a plastic intake manifold. JSAE Rev 1996 January 17(l) 51-7. 

Plastic manifolds are not only used on mass production cars but also on sports cars such as Porsche models, the Chevrolet Camaro and so on. For the intake manifolds used on the Camaro and Firebird, PPA is replacing PA because of several advantages ... 

Eyerer P, Dekorsy Th, Schuckert M, Pfleiderer I Developing a comprehensive balance of an automotive air intake manifold. German Plastics 83 (1993) 3, S16-19 Wolf MA, Eyerer P (2004) The life cycle accident assessment (LCAA) - emissions and casualties from non-normal operation and use. Presentation at sixth international conference on ecobalance, Tsukuba, Japan, October 25-27 2004... 

I brought all the parts home with me and purchased the barrel bolts and other hardware. I fashioned the second dam plate with a lower dam height, angled barrel bolts, and a shallower weir. I used the heated soldering gun blade to make the hole for the intake manifold at each culvert dam and to otherwise shape each plastic piece for a strong, good fit. 

Intake manifolds, camshafts, and engine blocks are just a few such parts under development for tomorrow s cars. The plastic auto engine has been a reality since the debut of the Polimotor in 1980, with its subsequent success as a power plant in racing cars. 

Furthermore, LCAs are used in evaluations of different product alternatives in collaboration with industrial clients. For example, a life cycle analysis has been performed for Ford, comparing an air-intake manifold in aluminium (manufactured by a particular process at a specified processor) to one made from Zytel by a specified process and processor [28]. Some of the results are displayed in Figures 7.16 - 7.19 (First published in German Plastics 83, 3 (1993)). 

M. Schuckert, Th. Dekorsy, I. Pfleiderer, and P. Eyerer, Developing a Comprehensive Balance cfan Automobile Air Intake Manifold, Kunststoffe - German Plastics, 83,3, pp. 16-19 (1993). 

The plastic (usually nylon) air intake manifold weighs half as much as one made from pressure-cast aluminium, and improves engine performance with its smoother inner surfaces, which minimize airflow resistance. The manifold is injection-moulded (see Chapter 7) and so secondary machining costs are eliminated. Additionally, because nylon is less thermally conductive than aluminium, the engine runs slightly hotter, which leads to a reduction in emissions the plastic manifold engines also have a shorter warm-up time. 

Leone and Oliver [42] have discussed the applications of fluoroelastomers, nitrile rubber (NBR) and hydrogenated NBR in seals for automotive air-intake manifolds. They review the properties required for such seals including mechanical and low temperature properties, heat and fuel resistance, and design requirements for the seals used in conjunction with the engineering plastics components in this application. 

Long established as the materials of choice for auto interiors but now also gaining favor for use in exterior body panels, plastics are continuing to make impressive inroads in under-the-hood performance parts, including the potential replacement of just about every component in the power train. Intake manifolds, camshafts, and engine blocks are just a few such parts under development for tomorrow s cars. The mostly plastic auto engine that has been a reality since the debut of the Polimotor in 1980, with its subsequent success as a power plant in racing cars has now been taken seriously in Detroit. 

LCA for the end-of-Ufe was used for seven plastic components that are commonly used in automotive applications. The parts included the bumper cover made from polypropylene (PP), windshield washer fluid container made from polyethylene (PE), air-intake manifold made from 30% glass-filled nylon, air duct made from 20% talk-filled PP, seat cushion made from polyurethane foam, head lamp lenses made from polycarbonate, and mirror housing made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (Jenseit et al. 2003). 

Mechanical recycling of the plastics obtained the lowest cost and lowest environmental burden than energy recovery and landfill options. The LCA work determined that in the cases with minimum disassembly time of plastic parts and 1 1 substitution with virgin plastics (PP bumper, HDPE fluid container, and glass-filled nylon air-intake manifold) mechanical recycUng of the plastics obtained the lowest cost and lowest environmental burden than energy recovery and landfill options. 

Delogu M, Del Pero F, Romoli F, Pierini M. Life cycle assessment of a plastic air intake manifold. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2015 20 1429-43. 

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