http://polymerics.tripod.com/vs.htm
Plastics vs Automobile Industry
Plastics’ use reaches record levels in automotive sector
A report published today shows a steady increase in the use of plastics
by Europe’s car manufacturing industry since the 1970s, rising to nearly
two million tonnes today.
By volume, plastics are now the most widely specified material.
However, plastics’ low weight means they account for about 10 per cent
of the total weight of a modern car.
The study, carried out by Mavel on behalf of the Association of Plastics
Manufacturers in Europe (APME), examines the use of plastics in cars
over the last three decades in Europe with specific reference to France,
Germany and Italy.
The report shows that this increase in the use of plastics is particularly
dramatic in certain types of cars. For example, some of the cars
surveyed registered a four-fold increase in their use of plastics between
the 1970s and 1990s.
It is estimated that, on average, 100 kilograms of plastics replaces 200300 kilograms of conventional material, reducing fuel consumption by
750 litres over a life span of 150 000 kilometres.
Additional calculations across all cars suggest that this cuts oil
consumption by 12 million tonnes and reduces CO2 emissions by 30
million tonnes per year in Western Europe alone. Twelve million tonnes
of oil equates to approximately 10 per cent of passenger fuel
consumption in Western Europe in 1996.
Plastics to build lighter cars
There are many examples in a modern car of weight savings made
possible by plastics: plastics-made bumpers are up to 10.4 kilograms
lighter, engine covers 4.2 kilograms lighter and plastics fuel tanks five
kilograms lighter than those made of conventional materials. In turn,
chassis, drive trains and transmission parts can all be made lighter as a
result of having to support a lower overall car weight.
These figures show the vital contribution plastics will make to help the
automotive industry meet environmental challenges. They confirm what
was already highlighted in a study, ‘The car of the future, the future of
the car’, carried out by IPTS and published by the European Parliament,
European Commission DGXII and the STOA Panel in 1996. The
authors report: "The automotive industry is approaching an era that may
revolutionise its use of materials. The major aim of the industry is to
decrease the weight of the automobile in order to reduce fuel
consumption, and consequently emissions."
The industry’s move toward lighter vehicles means plastics consumption
in the automotive sector will increase dramatically. For example, a study
carried out in Japan by MITI predicted that beyond 2000, use of plastics
in the average car could increase by 17 per cent from 115 kilograms
(nine per cent of average car weight) in 1989 to 220 kilograms (26 per
cent).
Plastics: reducing pollution and saving fossil fuels
Relatively little oil is needed to produce plastics. Western Europe
consumed over 26 million tonnes of plastics in 1996, of which 7 per cent
- nearly 2 million tonnes - were used in the manufacture of new cars
during that year . These plastics represent just 0.3 per cent of oil
consumption - just one hundredth of the oil used as fuel by the transport
sector as a whole over the same period. Yet they are constantly helping
to reduce the amount of fossil fuel and resources consumed. These
savings will rise as plastics’ consumption in the automotive industry
increases.
Commenting on the results of the study, Patrick Peuch, director at
APME’s Technical and Environmental Centre, said: "In today’s average
car, there are already more than 1000 plastics parts of all sizes and
shapes all providing fine examples of the many benefits of plastics’ light
weight, durability and versatility. With plastics consumption set to rise
steadily, cars in the next Millennium will be lighter, safer and even better
designed for people and the environment through their whole life cycle."
To obtain a free copy of the report, please contact APME’s
communications Director (see below).
To obtain a free copy of the report, please contact APME’s communications Director (see below).
Plastics in Automotible Manufacture
Plastics in Automobile Manufacture - Environmentally Friendly and
Economical.
High-grade plastics are indispensable in the automobile industry today.
Their use reduces the weight of vehicles - and that saves fuel. And with
greater stability, driving becomes safer. It is therefore essential to be
able to process plastics efficiently.
At BMW, they recognise the advantages of plastics. In their Landshut
works in Germany, the cars are fitted with components made of
polyurethane. The components are manufactured on-site: Four compact
tanks made by H&S Anlagentechnik GmbH/Sulingen, Germany take
care of storage, conditioning and transport of the plastic components.
The result is that production is always environmentally friendly; it is
economical, and the products are of a consistently high quality.
Additional advantages of polymers working in BMW's favour: plastics
can be installed quickly and easily - saving in commissioning time, more
than 30% for plant start-up, and makes for a much tidier plant, clarifying
system design throughout the field. That's why BMW is sticking with
Siemens in Germany.
The rubber and plastics industry, initially focused on automotive subcontracting, has successfully diversified its activities in other industries
such as electronics, home-appliances, bottle extrusion for perfumes and
cosmetics, plastic furnishings and food packaging.
A full-fledged plastics technology sector has thus emerged in Sarthe,
with some 90 companies employing 4,150 persons, accounting for 7%
of the industrial workforce and achieving US$ 300 million sales.
These companies cover the full range of plastics technologies: injection,
extrusion, thermoforming, calendering, rotational moulding,
compression, expansion... Leading national and international groups are
present in Sarthe: Demo Tableaux de Commande, ELF-Alphacan,
Hutchinson, Framatome Connectors, Freudenberg, Inovac, ARIES
Industries, Raclet, Teleplastics Industries, AMS Europe...
Plastics technology industries benefit from the presence of some twenty
local sub-contractors producing moulds, patterns or prototypes.
Education and training in the plastics industry runs from vocational high
school diplomas up to top-level engineering diplomas.
Car interiors
Plastics suppliers step up to the design table
It’s logical, it’s useful – and it may eventually spell doom to a whole range
of plastic parts currently needed for interior wiring.The development
exemplifies a noteworthy trend in interior plastics, and it spells bad news
for any plastics supplier with a buggy-whip mindset. In the early 20th
century, whip-makers, faced by the emerging automobile industry, refused
to recognize that technology was about to bypass them, and instead railed
against change and demanded protective legislation. Any plastics supplier
finding itself in this position must adapt or face extinction.Foam-in-place
wiring could render some significant tooling and production methods
obsolete. It may also reduce the amount of manual labor associated with
wiring harness manufacture. In addition, it may reduce or eliminate several
different kinds of automotive plastic products, including tape, tubes, straps,
troughs and grommets.Today’s interior systems integrators and their
material suppliers can’t afford to be fearful of that kind of change. They’ve
learned that ignoring progress, or even just standing still waiting for orders
to come in, can turn them into road-kill.UT’s harness concept is just one of
many that shows how plastics suppliers, Tier One suppliers and the OEM
customer are having to work collaboratively from the earliest stages of
product design. In UT’s case, it was the Tier One that brought together
existing foam and a new application, but Tim O’Brien, UT Automotive
advanced engineering manager for instrument panels, says if the idea had
come from a materials supplier, it probably would have received the same
fast-track treatment.
"I think we would have developed it just as aggressively with them,
assuming they were willing to do a joint-disclosure kind of thing, so we
could gain a leg up on our competitors," O’Brien says.
In fact, UT is currently evaluating polyurethane foams from Bayer, BASF
and Dow for the application. But today, plastics suppliers are expected to
lead in the materials selection process, even helping automakers specify
for cast metal or hydroformed steel interior systems where the economics
don’t favor an all-plastic solution.
Today, many molders are facing market trends that demand them to lower
part costs, consider recyclability in part design and reduce part weight. At
the same time, they must also improve the soft look and feel of IP trim,
work in tandem with Design For Assembly (DFA) driven productivity
strategies and increase product quality to reduce buzz, squeak and rattle.
The resins help reduce part costs with no-paint, low-gloss, molded-in color
surfaces. High-quality aesthetics and UV stable parts provide consistent
build quality.
In some applications, low-gloss resin savings can run upwards of 30% per
part.
Doors
A PC/ABS resin has been specified for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille front door
interior trim panel. This PC/ ABS resin was chosen for this application due
to its ability to take higher loads and higher heat than ABS or
polypropylene. This material advantage led to the specification of resin
over competing materials. The PC/ABS resin offers a unique balance of
stiffness and ductility that meet these material requirements better than
more traditional materials such as ABS or polypropylene.
ACRYLONITRILE BUTADIENE STYRENE/POLYCARBONATE ALLOY - ABS/PC
POLYMER TYPE
Thermoplastic
ADVANTAGES
Improved stiffness over conventional high impact ABS. Better processing properties than Polycarbonate.
Improved notched izod impact resistance compared to high impact ABS.
DISADVANTAGES
Limited resistance to hot water. Lower notched izod impact resistance ( c. 0.55 KJ/m - 10.3 ft lb/in )
compared to Polycarbonate ( c. 0.7 KJ/m - 13.1 ft lb/in ).
TYPICAL PROPERTIES
Property
Density (g/cm3)
Surface Hardness
Tensile Strength (MPa)
Flexural Modulus (GPa)
Notched Izod (kJ/m)
Linear Expansion (/°C x 10-5)
Elongation at Break (%)
Strain at Yield (%)
Max. Operating Temp. (°C)
Water Absorption (%)
Oxygen Index (%)
Flammability UL94
Volume Resistivity (log ohm.cm)
Dielectric Strength (MV/m)
Dissipation Factor 1kHz
Dielectric Constant 1kHz
HDT @ 0.45 MPa (°C)
HDT @ 1.80 MPa (°C)
Material. Drying hrs @ (°C)
Value
1.10
RR118
50
2.8
0.55
6.2
8
5
70
0.25
19
HB
17
17
0.005
3
128
122
2 @ 90
Melting Temp. Range (°C)
Mould Shrinkage (%)
Mould Temp. Range (°C)
245 - 265
0.7
40 - 80
APPLICATIONS
Helmets, car instrument panels, electrical connectors, housings.
This door trim panel application exemplifies how engineering thermoplastic
resins can contribute to not only the aesthetics of a vehicle's interior, but
also to the functionality that automotive designers now require from interior
components as they design vehicles to satisfy consumer demand for
safety and comfort.
Molded-in hooks, which hold the trim panel tightly to the door itself to
prevent rattles, were a functional feature that required the higher
performance characteristics that resin offered over competing materials.
The door panel is also made functional by the fact that it carries a speaker,
has molded- in support for the arm rest, and is delivered to the assembly
plant with sound barrier material attached.
More and more, Tier One suppliers like Manchester Plastics look to their
material suppliers for valuable technical support throughout the product
development cycle.
The one-piece thermoplastic Super Plug™ door module, a manufacturer of
engineering thermoplastics, has made its on-car debut with the launch of
the 1997 General Motors minivans.
These minivans, sold as the Chevrolet Venture, the Pontiac Trans Sport,
the Oldsmobile Silhouette, and in Europe, the Opel/Vauxhall Sintra, sport a
Super Plug designed specifically for this vehicle platform, but the design
can be translated to virtually any other production car or truck. In fact, a
forthcoming midsize GM sedan, to be sold as the Chevrolet Malibu and the
Oldsmobile Cutlass, will soon launch with its own version of the Super Plug
door module.
Though vehicle owners may never actually see this new plastic component
because it's positioned inside the door, it will offer very good quality over
conventional systems, along with serviceability that has already been
ranked "best in class." To consumers that means fewer squeaks and
rattles from the door, and maybe even fewer trips to the service
department.
A traditional car door typically houses a complex array of parts that
perform many functions vehicle owners take for granted, such as wires and
tracks for accommodating the windows and stereo speakers, components
for the door locking system, and the frame that provides structure to the
door itself. The many intertwining parts make the door an area in a car that
is time-consuming and costly to assemble and often dissatisfies customers
due to squeaks and rattles and a high incidence of warranty claims.
The Super Plug integrates the function of many of these door components
into a single thermoplastic part, reducing the number of parts inside the
door by up to 75%. With fewer parts inside the door, assembly time is
greatly reduced, and servicing the door system is made simpler. However,
since the Super Plug's design will differ from one vehicle platform to
another, parts integration, assembly improvements and serviceability will
also differ from platform to platform, depending on the complexity of a
vehicle's door system.
External applications
In automotive exterior applications is used resin, polybutylene
terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate because it's a material solution that
offers design and styling flexibility while meeting stringent OEN
requirements: color and property retention upon weathering precess abitily
and mechanical and heat performance.
The air / fuel injection module
Thanks to new technical plastics, which withstand high temperatures and
make optimum use of new processing techniques, more and more of
functional engine parts are being produced in composite materials. Solvay
was among the first in Europe to set up an industrial production line for
thermoplastic parts using the fusible-core or the vibration-welding injection
technique. This allows the production of parts with complex shapes and
compliance with very severe specifications.
Driven by a fully integrated system approach, Solvay Automotive
companies provide their customers with a complete plastic module for the
air intake function. Made using sophisticated technologies, this module is
fully equipped with air intake manifold, resonator, air filter, air ducts, fuel
rail, injectors, etc.
This system has major advantages : better design, better engine output,
lower weight and thermal conductivity, fewer components, and less
assembly work by the car maker. All of this amounts to lower costs and
less material waste.
The reasonator on the 1996 Dodge Neon is blow molded from NORYL
GTX® resin manufactured by GE Plastics. NORYL GTX® resin gives the
application high heat and chemical resistance, and the blow molded design
helps reduce engine noise.
NORYL GTX resin is part of a family of engineering thermoplastics
manufactured by GE Plastics that cover the spectrum of performance
requirements in the demanding environment of powertrain applications.
Along with a polyester polybutylene terephthalate resin and a
polyetherimide resin, NORYL GTX resin fills a niche role in the powertrain
segment.
One recent example of NORYL GTX resin's performance is the resonator
on the 1996 Dodge Neon. Both the 2.0 liter double overhead cam and
single overhead cam engine options for Neon utilize a blow molded
resonator. The decision to specify this resin was based in part on its
chemical resistance properties, hydrolytic and dimensional stability
characteristics and its ability to withstand temperatures from -40 to 300°F.
GE Plastics optimized the blend of polyphenylene oxide and polyamide
resins to give a competitive performance advantage over nylon resins. To
meet the specification, the part was also required to pass automotive
chemical resistance tests for automotive fluids such as oil and antifreeze.
Of primary concern to underhood and powertrain engineers are high heat
and chemical breakdown of component materials. Resins are a cost
effective material that is engineered to meet these specific challenges.
With a heat deflection temperature of 363°F, they can withstand the
elevated temperatures that can be generated by a high performance
engine. Additionally, very good resistance against chemical breakdown
from automotive fluids makes resins a logical choice for applications such
as engine resonators.
Another factor in the material specification were resins impressive
processing capabilities versus nylon that allow it to be injection molded or
blow molded. Steere Enterprises of Tallmadge, Ohio, chose the blow
molding process because it was quicker to manufacture and less
expensive than injection molding. Tooling cost savings were approximately
15%, and 10 to 20% faster cycle times were achieved versus competitive
materials in the application. Blow molding provides the resonator
application with important sound-absorbing properties that can help
minimize the engine noise that reaches the passenger compartment.
NORYL GTX resin was specified for the resonator application because it
combines good mechanical properties with overall system cost savings in
automotive powertrain applications, and resins are a versatile material that
is engineered to perform in the demanding environment of powertrain
applications.
NORYL GTX Resin Advantage:



Dimensional stability
Chemical resistance
Noise reduction





Low coefficient of thermal expansion
Weight savings
High heat resistance
Blow moldability
Surface appearance
The fuel management module
Plastic tanks feature major advantages over their metal counterparts. They
are lighter, make optimal use of available space, offer greater safety, better
resistance to corrosion and are produced at a lower cost.
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) tanks, completely equipped with an
electronic gauge, pump, filter, filling tube and cap, are delivered by Solvay,
ready to be assembled into the car body.
POLYVINYLIDENE FLUORID
Odkazy
IUPAC jméno
Jiná jména
difluoride
polyvinylidene
Identifikátory
CAS číslo
24937-79-9
Vlastnosti
Molekulární
vzorec
- (CH2CF2)
Vzhled
bělavá nebo průsvitná
pevná látka
n
-
Rozpustnost
ne rozpustný ve vodě
ve vodě
Struktura
Krystalová
soustava
mm2
(Kawai, 1969
Moment
dvojpólu
2.1 D
(Zhang, 2002
)
)
Příbuzné směsi
Příbuzné
směsi
PVC, PTFE, P (VDFTrFE)
Kromě uvedených výjimek jinak, data jsou
dávána pro
materiály v jejich standardní stát (u 25
100
° C,
kPa)
Infobox odkazy
Furthermore among Solvay's plastics, Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) is
the best barrier material: it withstands high temperatures and corrosive
acids and offers excellent barrier properties against fuels, additives and
alcohols. It is one of the materials which will be used for the new fuel lines
in accordance with recent legislation, in particular the Clean Air Act in the
United States.
Under the hood
Small tanks (for windshield wiper fluid, for example) and battery cases are
often made of polypropylene (PP). Battery separators are made with PVC.
PVDF is one component in the electrodes of the latest generation of lithium
batteries, which have substantially increased the range of electric cars.
Cylinder-head covers, which must resist severe mechanical stresses, are
made of polyarylamide or PPS compounds, as are clutch master cylinders.
http://www.plastics-car.com/s_plasticscar/sec_inner.asp?CID=418&DID=1322
Plastics & Today's Automobiles
Home
Today
Body
Today's plastics have revolutionized the design of auto body exteriors. From bumpers to door
panels, light weight plastic gives cars better gas mileage and allows designers and engineers
the freedom to create innovative concepts that otherwise would never be possible.
Traditionally, metal alloys were synonomous with auto body exterior design and
manufacturing. However, metal alloys are susceptible to dents, dings, stone chips and
corrosion. They are also heavier and more expensive than plastic. Choosing plastics for auto
body exterior parts allows manufacturers to adopt modular assembly practices, lower
production costs, improve energy management, achieve better dent resistance, and use
advanced styling techniques for sleeker, more aerodynamic exteriors.
Automobile design engineers face many constrictions when designing with metal. Low-cost,
single-unit production of large automobile sections, such as a front grille, is nearly impossible
when using metal. Plastic offers auto engineers a variety of practical, cost-effective
alternatives, as well as tremendous advantages over traditional automobile production
materials.
Plastics allow auto engineers to have greater freedom in styling, building, and placing
components, and give them the opportunity to combine several complex parts into a single,
integrated piece. Plastics make this possible, while lowering manufacturing costs.
New processes enable manufacturers to reuse scrap plastic and recycle used plastic costeffectively. Also, plastic components weigh approximately 50 percent less than their steel
counterparts. This enables automobile components to be substantially lighter, while retaining
needed strength, and contributes to an overall lighter vehicle and therefore fewer emissions
and improved gas mileage. Better gas mileage helps us responsibly manage natural resources
such as gasoline, while reducing emissions released into the environment. This benefits us all.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PLASTICS & TODAY'S AUTOMOBILES: AUTO BODY EXTERIOR
Plastic Car Bumpers & Fascia Systems
Front and rear bumpers became standard equipment on all cars in 1925. What were then
simple metal beams attached to the front and rear of a car have evolved into complex,
engineered components that are integral to the protection of the vehicle in low-speed
collisions. Today's plastic auto bumpers and fascia systems are aesthetically pleasing, while
offering advantages to both designers and drivers.
The majority of modern plastic car bumper system fascias are made of thermoplastic olefins
(TPOs), polycarbonates, polyesters, polypropylene, polyurethanes, polyamides, or blends of
these with, for instance, glass fibers, for strength and structural rigidity.
The use of plastic in auto bumpers and fascias gives designers a tremendous amount of
freedom when it comes to styling a prototype vehicle, or improving an existing model. Plastic
can be styled for both aesthetic and functional reasons in many ways without greatly affecting
the cost of production. Plastic bumpers contain reinforcements that allow them to be as
impact-resistant as metals while being less expensive to replace than their metal equivalents.
Plastic car bumpers generally expand at the same rate as metal bumpers under normal driving
temperatures and do not usually require special fixtures to keep them in place.
Some of the plastic products used in making auto bumpers and fascias can be recycled. This
enables the manufacturer to reuse scrap material in a cost-effective manner. A new recycling
programs uses painted TPO scrap to produce new bumper fascias through an innovative and
major recycling breakthrough process that removes paint from salvage yard plastic. Tests
reveal post-industrial recycled TPO performs exactly like virgin material, converting
hundreds of thousands of pounds of material destined for landfills into workable grade-A
material, and reducing material costs for manufacturers.
More innovations in plastic bumpers.
More innovations in plastic fascia systems.
Car Lighting Systems
Plastics are rapidly updating car lighting systems. Glass headlight lenses have been virtually replaced by
transparent polycarbonate plastics. These plastics are designed to resist high levels of heat, are shatter-resistant,
and can be molded into almost any shape. This gives car designers and engineers far more flexibility in the
styling and placement of headlights. Plastics' versatility also allows auto headlights to incorporate high-tech
focusing designs in the lenses, providing the benefit of increased highway safety.
Tail lights, turn signals, cornering lamps, back-up lights, and fog lights are all made of polycarbonate plastics or,
in some cases, acrylic plastics. These lenses have similar design and engineering advantages to auto headlight
lenses, and incorporate reflective optical surfaces too.
Major changes in the future of both head and tail light systems are imminent, with the
incorporation of plastic-based LED (Light Emitting Diode) brake-light systems and
'lightbox' systems, whereby an easily accessible, single light source is used to provide
exterior lighting for the car via acrylic fiber-optic wires. The incorporation of "light box"
LED car lighting technology will eliminate the need for high-heat resistant plastics in auto
lighting systems, allowing substitution for even lighter plastic lenses that retain the
ability to resist impacts.
Auto Trim
Trim is an important operative and aesthetic component of car exteriors. Auto trim comprises everything
from mirror housings to door handles, side trim, wheel covers and radiator grilles. Today, auto trim parts
depend largely on plastic to add functionality and decoration to a vehicle's exterior. A variety of plastics
are used in manufacturing exterior trim. Nylons, polystyrene, polycarbonates, weatherable ASA-AES,
PVC, polypropylene, polyesters, and urethanes are the most commonly used plastics in these
applications.
A number of important innovations have allowed manufacturers to save both time and money when
building exterior car trim parts. Mirror housings can now be in-mold painted, thanks to weatherable ASAAES plastics systems, which allow car manufacturers to save on painting costs and eliminate the need for
timing the cure of mirror housings with their painting on the production line. Another exciting innovation
is in plastic wheel covers. By using plastic instead of metal to manufacture wheel covers, and then
plating the plastic with a metallic finish, manufacturers spend a fraction of the cost while making the
plastic look like a metal alloy. Engineers and consumers also enjoy the added benefits of weight
reduction that go hand-in-hand with a switch to plastics. Plastic has also led to innovations in pickup
trucks as well. In addition to the familiar truck bed liners, the entire pickup truck bed can be blowmolded from high-density polyethylene.
Recent innovations and buying trends demonstrate a bright future for plastic in exterior automobile
applications because it is an excellent, cost-saving alternative to traditional materials. Plastic's ability to
reduce weight and improve efficiency provides environmental benefits while maintaining safety. With
high-mileage performance becoming an increasingly important issue to consumers and car
manufacturers, plastics have the added advantage of making strong future environmental achievements
possible.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17984754/Use-of-Plastics-in-Automobile
1. Abstract:
Over time, automobiles have changed dramatically from their first inception. The focus of this
report was on the replacement of traditional metal parts with plastic parts. The reason for this change
can be attributed to the gas shortage of the 70’s. Engineers knew that a lighter weight car was needed
to gain more miles per gallon of gas. The bumper, for example, is a part that has achieved weight
reduction of 2.5 pounds while eliminating 13 metal parts. Another example would be the engine
manifold where 5 pounds are now saved as well as increasing the horsepower by 33% 8. There are
many parts that have made the change but this paper will focus only on the fuel tank, engine and
interior/exterior of the automobile. In some cases plastic has become more prevalent than metal.
Plastic frees engineers from the design constraints imposed by metal. There are environment benefits
from the more fuel-efficient vehicle, due to plastics lighter weight. However, there are no cars made
completely of plastic so metal has it’sown advantages. Therefore the sections to follow will discuss
each materials characteristics in manufacturing application, and how industry and consumer both
benefit.
2. Introduction:
Through history, cars were typically made completely from steel. However, over time, cars
have evolved into a composite of materials. The reason for this evolution can be blamed on the
increase in the price of oil during the decade of the 70’s. Society looked for a more efficient car in
terms of mileage per gallon of gas. Engineers looked toward plastic due to its lightweight. Plastic
provides an average weight savings of 400 pounds. With 15 million cars manufactured each year, this
translates to energy savings of 5.25 million gallons of gas per year and 10.5 billion pounds less carbon
dioxide in the air8. The question then arose “Why not make a car completely out of plastic?” The
answer is an easy one, toexpensive. Therefore a compromise had to be made depending on the
different characteristics of the materials. This leads to the fact that the automobile is now a composite
of materials. Better gas mileage helps us manage our natural resources such as gasoline, while
reducing emissions released into the atmosphere. Some areas where the use of plastics has become
more proficient are exterior/interior, electrical, fuel, engine, chassis and power train. The first known
use of plastic in an automobile, aside from tires, was the bumper. Nowadays the majority of plastic
bumpers are made of thermoplastic olefins, polyesters, polypropylene or blends of these compounds
with glass fibers to increase strength.
3. Uses of plastic in an Automobile:
3.1 Fuel Tank:
As changes in weight and cost savings drive the performance criteria for automotive
materials, equipment manufacturers are taking a hard look at the historically terne-coated steel used
for gas tanks5. Thus, we will compare steel and plastic for gas tank uses according to competitive
analysis and performance attributes. Throughout history, terne-coated steel has been used for
automotive gas tanks. However, several issues must be met regarding the changing performance
criteria. This exploration proves to be a threat to the application of steel products. Many characteristics
can be taken into account for the material change such as permeability, weight, packaging, safety, and
cost. Even though the use of plastic fuel tanks has increased in
the marketplace, a comparative analysis of the various plastic and steel alternatives indicates that
steel remains a cost-effective material that meets all of the required performance criteria5.
3.1.1 Plastic Fuel Tanks
Plastic fuel tanks are made from high density polyethylene(HDPE), a strong, lightweight
material which has allowed manufacturers to substantially lower the net weight of the automobile.
Since the mid-1980s, automakers have been displacing coated-steel fuel tanks with plastic ones.
During the early 1990’s, approximately 2.7-3 million cars and trucks built in North America used
nonmetallic tanks. At this time it represented 22-25% of the market, compared to 16% in the late
1980’s. Experts dealing with automotive designs predict plastic tanks will capture 60% of the North
American market by the end of 2001. This can be considered as a worst-case scenario for the steel
industry if it fails to provide a cost-effective steel alternative that meets all of the performance criteria.
3.1.2 Performance Attributes
3.1.2.a Manufacturability
Terne-plate holds a materials cost advantage over high-density polyethylene. The cost of the
material is not the only driving force. Consideration must also include the cost of the tank and its
reliability within the fuel system of the vehicle. This system is composed of the tank, filler tube, and
level control to name a few5. All of these components must function properly as any unforeseen
corrosion can easily contaminate the fuel delivery system and cause costly repairs. Metal tanks cost
structure indicate a lower cost per piece versus plastic ones 3.
3.1.2.b Design Features
Plastic tanks have the ability to meet packaging constraints with complex shapes, and design
engineers have greater flexibility in the car design and styling without having to worry about fitting the
gas tank. The average gas tank for a compact automobile can boast weight savings of up to 30%
versus a similar steel tank. However, the weight advantage of plastics has diminished due to new
permeability requirements5.
3.1.2.c Safety
One critical part of the performance criteria of the tank is its ability to meet crash requirements.
Generally, plastic tanks are considered safer in crashes because they are seamless and, thus, not prone
to failures in the seam areas. Also, plastic tanks deform and have some ability to rebound back to shape.
When steel tanks absorb energy and deform, the pressure within the tank is inversely related to the
volume. As the pressure in the tank increases the volume decreases. This makes them vulnerable at
welded or clamped areas where failure can potentially occur.
At the same time, the tank must withstand extreme in-tank temperatures in North
America. The high point (79°C) temperature exceeds the boiling point of the alcohol fuels while the
extreme cold introduces potential cracking problems12. Plastic, with its insulating properties, slows heat
transfer to the fuel when compared to a steel tank. Also, plastics cannot be considered a source for
sparks12. In the case of an under-car fire, plastic tanks will hold back the rise in fuel temperature.
However, this is not a permanent solution as the tank will soften, sag, and eventually release the fuel.
A steel tank does not sag in a fire; however, the fuel temperature may rise rapidly, perhaps resulting in
over pressurization and release of fuel through a mechanical fitting.
3.1.2.d Corrosion
Corrosion is a well-known concern on both the inside and outside surfaces of tanks. The
outside surfaces and supporting structure are exposed to road chemicals, salt, mud, and gravel. The
corrosion issue is critical with zinc-coated products that replace terne-coated plates because of their
nature, which puts an even higher demand on the barrier film for both the inside and outside surfaces.
In contrast, the HDPE gas tanks are inert to the corrosive environments inside and outside the tank.
3.1.2.e Recyclability
This is the hardest obstacle to overcome for a plastic part. Despite progress in recycling,
the propagation of plastics in automotive applications faces some problems, such as 5:
1)1) The absence of a plastics recycling infrastructure.
2)2) A typical passenger cars steel and iron parts are recoverable.
3)3) The molding process for plastic fuel tanks. This process results in 35% of plastic
material ending as waste.
4)4) The lack of technology that dismantlers can use to quickly collect various
plastics.
5)5) Cost. Recycled plastics are not cost competitive with newer plastics.
As a result, automotive-design engineers must not only meet customer, design, styling, cost, weight,
and regulatory needs but also environmental criteria. All material suppliers must show that their
product is not only lighter and cost effective but also recyclable.
3.1.3 Tank Materials and Manufacturers
3.1.3.a Manufacturers
Chrysler made the decision to outsource plastic tanks and they remain committed to this
decision. The listed advantages of plastic, according to Chrysler, are lack of corrosion, easier
packaging and lower weight.
Ford called for a switch in 1997 to zinc-nickel-coated steel from terne-coated steel tanks in all
models. In some models they will also switch from plastic to zinc-coated tanks. However, they will
continue to use plastic tanks in certain models.
General Motors at this time has an ongoing corrosion test program to see if Plastic would
be better than metal in fuel tanks5.
3.1.3.b Competitive Analysis
There are two aspects to compare between steel and plastic fuel tanks; production volume and the
ability to recycle the material. Plastic is much cheaper when it comes to production volume while steel
is cheaper to recycle. The difference in these characteristics will be the driving influence in p3.2
Exterior
For the last several years there has been enormous expansion in the awareness and attempt
in the development of innovative polymers for automotive body exteriors. The challenge, which
confronts the automotive car companies of today, focuses around cost reduction, improved durability
and quality while concurrently providing a vehicle, which is pleasurable to drive and stylishly in
appearance.
Technologies for automobile exteriors comprise an extensive continuum. Thermoplastic
polymers, alloys and Reaction Injection Molded (RIM) thermosetsare primary candidates for vertical
panels. Thermoset and thermoplastic composites vie for horizontal components and uni- body
verticals that carry structural loads. Applicants for composite fabrication technology includes SMC
compression molding, Structural RIM for thermosets, and high-pressure flow molding or stamping for
thermoplastics2. Last but not least, coating systems establish a sizeable portion of assembly plants
and vehicular costs; nonetheless contribute significantly to style and appearance.
The sections that follow concentrate on both, elementary and marketable issues of materials
implementation, and processing, therefore, all overall industrial progress in the technologies listed
above.
Plastic body panels have been considered cost acceptable with that of steel parts. The fairly
low tooling cost of plastics compared to steel offsets the elevated material cost of plastic. This is only
true in lower volume applications. One advantage for using plastics in exterior body panels is its low
capital investment for plastic tooling changes in comparison to steel. Exterior plastic panels may be
changed frequently to alter and update vehicle styling, while a homogeneous vehicle stage is
employed to minimize production fee. Changes in materials and vehicle subsystem technologies and
source represent the greatest cost reduction opportunities for U.S. automakers. Materials and
subassemblies currently account for over 50 percent of total vehicle cost and further affect assembly
costs that represent another 30 percent of production cost 4.
Steel does have performance deficiencies. U.S. produced steel has suffered from wavering
value that has resulted in inadequate vehicle fit and finish and the need for over designed, and more
expensive tools. Further, poor corrosion resistance has increased life cycle costs for automobiles. On
the other hand, companies are helping to improve consistency in sheet production and the use of
electrogalvanization and surface treatment technologies are improving steel’s corrosion resistance.
SMC can withstand exposure in paint ovens designed for steel and have begun to meet oneminute cycle targets, which match vehicle build rates, due to technology development on the part of
the SMC fabrication community.
Reaction injection molded polyurethane-type systems and injection-molded thermoplastics
have had smaller quantity of industrial applications, but offer the potential for damage resistance in
low-impact collision4. 3.2.1 Thermoplastic Composites:
lastic versus metal fuel tanks.
Techno polymers are a combination of GE Plastics own proficiency in resin technology, and
PPG’s venerable work with fiberglass and composite technology. Thus, after the combination of these
two technologies, a high-strength industrial thermoplastic composite is produced. Thermoplastic
composites represent two extremes. One, the high-end consist of exotic polymer matrices with
specialized reinforcement systems, usually found in the aerospace industry. The second is sheetmolding compounds, used mainly in industrial applications. The advantages of using thermoplastic as
opposed to thermoset-based composites are as followed4:
1)1) No hand cutting/weighing
2)2) No controlled storage
3)3) No hot molds
4)4) Thermoplastic recyclability
5)5) Greater than 50% reduction in cycle time
6)6) Minimal deflashing
7)7) No post-mold curing step
Not only do thermoplastics enjoy a high modulus, they additionally have exceptional collision
resistance. Currently this knowledge is used in a multiplicity of applications. The present day
consumer desires a safer and more fuel-efficient automobile, thus the automotive industry demands
lighter, stronger materials in which to make automobiles. Application of this technology includes
structural roofs whose load bearing eliminates the roof rack, subsequently the creation of an
aerodynamic storage compartment. Second application, is for the integrated lighting housings and
locking platforms for the hood or tailgate. Third application, totally integrated dashboard platforms that
incorporate knee-bar support beams, steering column and pedal support, and heating and ventilation
housing. A final application, are for back panels of truck cabs.
The potential advantage of a composite consisting of chopped nature of glass, approximately
60-70%, the glass will flow more effectively and fill bosses and ribs 7. His technology is applied in the
development of a thermoplastic composite for horizontal automotive panels.
Saturn trail blazed the use of thermoplastic systems in body panels with the introduction of
the industry’s foremost quality, high production thermoplastic door panel a decade ago.
Daimler/Chrysler also has a firm dedication to designing and building plastic-bodied cars. The use of
thermoplastics saves 20 to 50 percent in net weight and 50 to 70 percent in production time.
Developing new material technologies continues to make thermoplastic systems trendy and
profitable. Molded in color panels, are extremely attractive quality, because of an effective elimination
of manufacturing time and cost.
Thermoplastic polyesters are one of the most recycled materials in the world. This provides
numerous advantages, both promoting recycled product to the consumer and the savings that result
from in-company recycling of needless material.
Still, most plastic-based body panels rely on sheet molding compounds (SMC), a thermo set
polyestersheet. Manufactures find production costs for SMC based panels are, for the most part,
lesser than production cost for steel and aluminum 6.
RIM is being used in production of automobile bumpers and fascias as well as body
panels. RIM technology is lighter than SMC, with slight compromises in structural rigidity.
The last 5 years have seen, a major shift in the materials used in manifold manufacture. This
small period of time has seen over 80% of new cars switch from traditional aluminum manifolds to
more revolutionary nylon composites. So far, the transition has been a complete success, indicating
that future innovations are just around the corner.
The manifold of a car is responsible for providing air to the engine. The air is necessary for
combustion of the gasoline to take place. Although this sounds simplistic and trivial the lifespan an
efficiency of a car’s engine depend on the quality of the air provided to it. Dust and foreign particles in
the air intake, can harm moving engine parts, or hamper combustion. The air intake counters this
threat by filtering the intaken air. The manifold also has to allow air to enter
the engine at a high density if possible (4-8
3
mkg
)2. Since warm air will be of a lower density
then colder air, ideal gas law ~
T1
, it is important to shield the incoming air from engine heat.
Most cars now are equipped with Air Intake manifolds made of high quality nylon 6, or nylon
66 resins, under various trade names. Currently the primary producers of these materials for powertrain molding are BASF, Dow Chemical, and DuPont Chemical. Their chemicals are Ultramid Tm for
BASF, DuPont’s ZytelTm, and Dow’s QuestraTm. These are similar compounds of a nylon 6 resin, with
33-35% glass reinforcement Manifolds using these composites are molded using injection molding
systems, to form the complex single piece engine air-intake pieces necessary to boost engine
performance. Injection molding takes advantage of the ability of plastics to take a complex single-piece
shape. This is where a large portion of the savings over traditional aluminum intakes is realized.
Aluminum manifolds require costly milling, and post production work to make them as efficient as a
single piece nylon system.
This knowledge allows a listing of desirable properties in the chosen polymer. The polymer
must be able to resist the heat in the environment it will be located in. The area around a car engine is
hot, and the nylon composites have melting points ranging from 220-300oC. In order to maintain the
manifold it is also important that it is resistant to corrosion by car fuel, and battery acid vapors which
would threaten to eat through engine pieces. Water absorption is a concern with nylon 6, which is why
nylon 6,6 is often used instead, since it has a lower concentration of water absorbing amide-group
concentrations along the polymer backbone. When nylons absorb too much water they lose tensile
strength and become more flexible due to the fact that the water acts like a plasticizer. This is not
desirable since the manifold of an engine is a carefully designed precision piece. Another concern is
the tensile modulus of the polymer, for those commonly used in engine manifolds they range from
11000 – 12500 MPa. Also desirable but less important is a high electrical resistance. There are many
electrical systems under the hood of a car, and the nylon 6, and nylon 6,6 resins have resistances of
approximately 1*10^13 ohms.
These requirements lead to resins from DuPont and BASF being used by such industry
leading companies as Ford Motors, and Dodge Motor Car. Representative of DuPont’s offerings is its
Zytel HTN 51G35HSLR BK420, a high quality Nylon 6,6 with 35% glass reinforcement 2. Additives to
ZytelHTN 51G allow for additional heat stabilization and lubrication, and additional
resistance to hydrolysis. Zytel HTN 51G35 also has very small mold shrinkage of 0.2%, and a high
density of 1.47 g/cm 3. BASF offers compounds like its UltramidB3WG7 a 35% glass reinforced nylon 6
resin. Ultramid has a slightly lower melting temperature, but benefits from having a lower mold
temperature (80-90oC verses 150oC), as well as roughly half the drying time. These factors allow for
quicker and cheaper production costs3.
Radical advances using these compounds only hint at what top chemical companies are
conducting research on at the moment. As the properties of thermosetplastics continue to improve can
an engine made entirely of polymers be more then 10 years away? The drive to increase efficiency by
reducing weight, and decreasing metal requirements in automotive construction will ultimately answer
the question.
4. Conclusion:
From bumpers to fuel tanks, lightweight plastic gives cars better gas mileage and allows
engineers more freedom in their designs. Traditionally, metal alloys were used in manufacturing
automobile components, however, plastic has several advantages that allows it to outperform metal.
Plastic offers a variety of practical, cost effective alternatives as well as advantages over traditional
automotive production materials. There are many characteristics in which plastic parts are superior to
steel, and this paper has touched on a few of these areas. The 4 major characteristics can be
summarized as follows3:
1)1) Weight – Because plastic can weigh 6 to 8 times less than certain metal parts, using
it to reduce the weight of the car helped to make it more fuel efficient.
2)2) Easier to Produce – Plastic is generally more expensive but easier to mold and
produce/re-fabricate.
3)3) Design Flexibility – Allows engineers to have greater freedom in styling, building
and placing components.
4)4) Parts Consolidation - One plastic part usually replaces the function of several metal
pieces.
Competitive Materials
Analysis for Gas Tanks5
Advantage
Disadvantage
Steel:
Terne-Coated Steel
1)1) Low Cost at high
volumes
2)2) recyclable
1)1) Shape flexibility
2)2) Ineffective corrosion
protection
Electrocoated Zn-Ni
1)1) Low cost at high
volumes
2)2) Recyclable
3)3) Effective against
corrosion
4)4) Permeability
1)1) Weldability
2)2) Shape flexibility
Hot-Dipped Tin
1)1) Low cost at high
volumes
2)2) Recyclable
3)3) Effective against
corrosion
4)4) Permeability
5)5) Weldability
1)1) Shape Flexibility
Stainless Steel
1)1) Corrosion
2)2) Recyclable
1)1) Cost at all volumes
2)2) Formability/Jointability
3)3) Permeability
Plastics:
HDPE
1)1) Shape flexibility
2)2) Low tooling costs at
low volumes
3)3) Weight
4)4) Corrosion resistance
1)1) High tooling costs at high
volumes
2)2) High material cost
3)3) Permeability
4)4) Recyclability
Multilayer and Barrier
HDPE
1)1) Shape flexibility
2)2) Weight
3)3) Corrosion resistance
4)4) Permeability
1)1) Higher material cost
2)2) Harder to recycle
The major disadvantage of a plastic is Recycling. Recycling has now become a mainstay in society
due to tighter environmental measures. New processes enable manufacturers to reuse scrap plastic
and recycle used plastic cost-effectively. In a sense, this paper has been a discussion of how plastic is
better than metal.
References Cited:
1.1.www.ai ag.org
2.2.www.Dupont.com
3.3.www.plastcs -car. com
4.4. Schmeal & Purcell, New Polymer Technology For Auto Body Exteriors, 260 volume
84, 1988, AICHE, New York, New York, 1988
5.5.www.tms.org /journals/
6.6. Plastic processing for the automotive engineer, Society of Automotive Engineers,
1967, 29p
7.7. Automotive engineering, Society of Automotive Engineers, v80, no.11-v 105; Nov.
1972-Dec. 1997
8.8.http://www.plastics- car.com/spotli ght/auto_slideshow.html
9.9. Timothy T. Maxwell and Jesse C. Jones, Alternative Fuels: Emissions, Economics
and Performance (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 1995), pp. 29-42.
10.10. Robert Q. Riley, Alternative Cars in the 21st Century (Warrendale, PA: Society of
Automotive Engineers, 1994), pp. 173-176.
11.11. Bundy International, "Fuel Supply Systems for a Healthier Environment", ed.
Michael Scarlett, Automotive Technology International '94, pp. 37-40.
12.12. "Plastic Bounces Back in Fuel Tanks," Automotive News (January 30, 1995).
13.13. Delphi VII Forecast and Analysis of the North American Automotive Industry (Ann
Arbor, MI: Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation, University of Michigan
New Plastics and the Automobile
The use of plastics in the automotive industry can be traced back to the industry's infancy,
mainly in such items as electrical components and interior fittings. The concept of actually
designing vehicles around plastics came much later.
by Jean L. Broge, Assistant Editor
Until 1971, Australians in the Outback did not have to pack a barbecue if they went on a camping trip
in their Land Rover. They had discovered that the Land Rover's wire-mesh radiator grille worked just
fine for impromptu barbecues. In 1971, Land Rover introduced the Series 3. As many shocked, and
then hungry, owners discovered when they tossed their new Series 3 grilles onto the open fire, the
grille was made of plastic.
Nearly 30 years later, consumers discovering plastic parts in their vehicles should not be so shocked.
The Association of Plastics Manufacturers of Europe (APME) reports that 1.7 million t (1.9 million ton)
of plastics were used by the automotive industry in Western Europe in 1997. According to the
American Plastics Council (APC), the average 1999 North American car weighed about 1450 kg (3200
lb) and had 117 kg (257 lb) of plastic, which is expected to grow to about 142 kg (313 lb) by 2009.
Approximately 1.8 million t (2.0 million ton) of plastics were used on North American cars and light
trucks in 1999, and experts predict that amount to increase to about 2.4 million t (2.6 million ton) by
2009.
Information was provided by the American Plastics Council; the Composites Fabricators Association;
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the Office of Transportation Technologies; the Society of Plastics
Engineers; and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research.
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Why plastics?
Why now?
Exterior
Interior
Under the hood
What's next?
New Plastics and the Automobile
Why plastics?
The 2000 Mustang SVT
Cobra R went into
production in early spring
with carbon-fiber air
ducts that cool the front
brake rotors.
The Ford Equator

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
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The term "plastics" encompasses organic materials
concept truck features
(carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc.) of large molecular
bumpers, fenders, wheel
weight that can be shaped by flow. The term usually refers
wells, and lower trim
to the final product, with fillers, plasticizers, pigments, and
panels made of Kevlar.
stabilizers included, versus the resin-the homogeneous
polymeric starting material. Plastics are polymers, which are created by the chemical bonding
of many identical or related structural units.
Polymers that contain primarily carbon and hydrogen are classified as organic polymers,
including polypropylene (PP), polybutylene (PB), and polystyrene (PS). Other elements found
in the molecular makeup of polymers include oxygen, chlorine, fluorine, nitrogen, silicon,
phosphorous, and sulfur. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) contains chlorine. Nylon contains nitrogen.
Teflon contains fluorine. Polyester and polycarbonates (PCs) contain oxygen. Polymers that
have a silicon or phosphorous backbone, instead of a carbon one, are considered inorganic
polymers.
A thermoplastic is a polymer in which the molecules are held together by weak secondary
bonding forces that can be softened and melted by heat, then shaped or formed before being
allowed to "freeze" again. The heating and cooling processes can be repeated many times
without significant chemical change. A thermoset is a polymer that solidifies irreversibly when
heated due to a chemical reaction involving cross-linking between chains. Thermoplastics in
general exhibit better flexural and impact performance and superior resistance to solvents;
thermosets tend to have better compressive strength and abrasion resistance and significantly
better dimensional stability.
Composites consist of a reinforcing fiber in a polymer matrix. Polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy
resins are most often the matrix of choice. Composites essentially combine the strength and
rigidity of metals and the light weight, flexibility, and corrosion resistance of plastics. Henry
Ford began experimenting with composites around 1940, initially using compressed soybeans
to produce composite plastic-like components. As can be seen in the lead photo from 1941,
the phenolic trunk lid was strong enough to withstand an energetic Ford armed with a
sledgehammer.
According to the Composites Fabricators Association, about 65% of all composites produced
currently use glass fiber and polyester or vinyl ester resins, and are manufactured using an
open molding method. The remaining 35% are produced with high-volume manufacturing
methods or use advanced materials, such as carbon or aramid (polyamides such as Kevlar)
fiber. Carbon fiber is primarily in use in the motorsports and aerospace industries because of
its significant strength and frictional performance. The main reason for its limited use in the
automotive industry has been its high cost, though one recent use is in Ford's 2000 SVT
Mustang Cobra R. Air inlets designed into the Cobra R's fog light bezels are used to provide
extra cooling for the front brakes. Air ducts run from these inlets to special carbon-fiber heat
shields fitted around the inside of the brakes to intercool the rotors. The heat shields were
developed by Multimatic Motorsports and were used by 1999 Cobras in the Motorola Cup
racing series. The main automotive application for carbon fiber continues to be for moving
parts in the engine and transmission.
Aramid fibers are used in moving parts where lubricity and dimensional consistency are more
important than strength or rigidity, such as clutch belts and grease-free ignition switches.
However, the Ford Equator concept truck displayed at the North American International Auto
Show (NAIAS) in January featured Kevlar bumpers, fenders, wheel wells, and lower trim
panels, making the parts resistant to stone damage and what Ford confidently described as
"nearly indestructible."
Polymers have very distinct characteristics, but all have things in common. They are resistant
to harsh chemicals; provide both thermal and electrical insulation; offer good noise, vibration,
and harshness (NVH) characteristics; offer design flexibility; have an excellent strength to
mass ratio; and offer a variety of production options. They can be molded into the body of a
car, or mixed with solvents to become an adhesive or paint. Elastomers and some plastics are
very flexible. Other polymers can be foamed, like PS and urethane. Polymers seem to have
an unlimited range of characteristics and colors, with inherent properties that can be enhanced
by a wide range of additives to broaden their uses.
Why now?
Legislative actions such as the Clean Air Act Amendment,
the National Energy Policy Act, and potential new
corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards have
resulted in increased emphasis on electric, hybrid, and
alternative-fuel vehicles, as well as improved fuel economy
of conventional vehicles. The Lightweight Materials
Program at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN, is aimed at
developing new, cost-effective, environmentally sound
materials and process technologies to enable the U.S.
transportation industry to be more energy efficient through
vehicle weight reduction. According to ORNL, 75% of a
vehicle's energy consumption is directly related to factors
associated with vehicle weight, and it identifies as critical
the need to produce safe and cost-effective lightweight
vehicles.
The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV)
was established in 1993 by the U.S. government, Chrysler,
Ford, and GM to achieve three goals:
o
o
o
The Tele Aid and
telephone antennae of
the new Mercedes-Benz
CL500 are in its
composite trunk lid.
The grille opening
reinforcement of the Ford
Focus consists of a
plastic/metal composite
that is 40% lighter than
an equivalent all-metal
part.
Explore technologies that reduce the time and cost
to design and manufacture vehicles.
Apply innovations, when commercially viable, to
conventional vehicles.
Develop a mid-size vehicle with a fuel efficiency of 2.94 L/100 km (80 mpg) while
achieving improved recyclability and maintaining performance, utility, safety, and cost
of ownership comparable to a mid-size vehicle of 1994.
Through PNGV, the three automakers are pursuing a variety of advanced powertrain options,
such as fuel cells and various hybrid combinations, to meet the fuel efficiency goal in a preproduction vehicle by 2004. According to the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR),
one of the challenges in integrating these powertrains into vehicles is overcoming their
increased weight and complexity as compared to conventional powertrains. To compensate
for the increased weight, the weight of other vehicle components must be reduced by
approximately 40% to meet the fuel efficiency targets.
There has been much research involving material options for vehicle bodies, such as steel,
aluminum, and a variety of composites. However, every component and part must be
analyzed for potential weight reduction. While the PNGV partners have decades of experience
with lightweight body component designs (the Chevrolet Corvette has been made of fiberglass
body components since the early 1950s), the most difficult challenges are reducing the actual
cost of materials and manufacturing the lightweight parts affordably. According to the DOE's
Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT), current materials can reduce vehicle weight by
more than 60%. However, OTT believes the cost of these materials, the capability to design
with them, and the associated manufacturing processes presently are inadequate to produce
safe, durable, recyclable, and affordable cars.
The DOE announced in January that it is funding a $1.8 million project at Virginia Tech and
Clemson University aimed at the development of low-cost carbon fiber for use in making
lightweight automotive parts. The approach to reducing cost is to develop a new polymer (or
plastic) to serve as a precursor for the carbon fiber. The new polymer would have to be
processed more cheaply than existing polymers and contain a higher percentage of carbon in
the final fiber. Carbon fibers are currently produced through a process called pyrolysis, in
which a precursor material such as tar-like pitch is chemically changed by heating and
subsequently pre-tensioned, or stretched, to obtain the desired properties. The fibers are then
ready to be made into a carbon-fiber composite. Currently, carbon fiber suitable for automotive
use costs around $8 per pound. The research team hopes to develop a carbon fiber that can
be produced for less than $5 per pound.
Designers have moved away from plastics as just a direct replacement material, and have
begun integrating plastics at the design stage to meet weight reduction requirements while
improving safety, performance, corrosion resistance, and fuel economy; exploring new styling
potentials; and reducing maintenance. Following are the more innovative examples of how
plastics are changing, and have changed, the design of the automobile.
Exterior
A removable hood, as
envisioned by engineers
at Plastic Omnium Auto
Exteriors.
GM's composite pickup
box uses SRIM and
RRIM materials.
The Sport Trac's cargo
area is robotically
ejected from its mold
cavity, then removed
from the press.
Ford's Explorer Sport
Trac has a black-molded
SMC cargo area that
eliminates the need for a
separate truck bed liner.
Substituting a material with another is often a "copy and
paste" of the previous solution. In the past, some
thermoplastic body panels failed or were not as successful
as expected because the characteristics of thermoplastics
were not taken into consideration initially. Recent
successes owe to the fact that the unique characteristics
of the new materials were considered during the early
stages of development.
Plastic body panels are more resistant to impact damage
than metal panels. The three most common plastic
systems used for body panels are sheet molding
compound (SMC), a thermoset polyester sheet; reaction
injection molding (RIM), a thermoset system in which
urethane resin is injected into a mold; and thermoplastic
systems, including thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO). All
three systems use plastics reinforced with glass fiber to
add rigidity and structural support.
The all-new Mercedes-Benz CL500 is over 227 kg (500 lb)
lighter than its predecessor due to a variety of weightsaving materials such as aluminum, composites, and
magnesium. The trunk lid is manufactured from a special
polyamide blend, a thermoplastic with excellent elasticity.
The new material allowed engineers to build the telephone
and Tele Aid (Mercedes' automatic call system with GPS)
antennae into the lid, a choice that would not have been
available with a metal lid because of reception
interference.
At the other end of the vehicle, the 2000 Ford Focus has a
plastic/metal composite grille opening reinforcement
(GOR). The structural body component is produced using
patented hybrid technology devised and developed by
Bayer AG and is the result of a collaborative effort with
Ford, Visteon Automotive Systems, and Misslbeck. The
original concept was for the Focus' GOR to be made of
more than 10 welded metal stampings. However, the
manufacturing tolerance stack-up of the proposed part
exceeded accepted limits. Manufactured from Bayer's 30%
glass-filled polyamide, Durenthan, and profiled steel plate,
the plastic/metal composite GOR is about 40% lighter than
if it had been made entirely of metal. The GOR also
provided improved part integration and consolidation,
having 26 connections for 15 mating components.
Cambridge Industries'
SMC tri-door system for
the Ford Excursion
weighs 15% less than a
comparable sheet-metal
system.
The molded-in-color
bumper fascia on the
2000 Dodge Neon is
injection-molded from
DuPont's new supergloss
alloy.
Smart car body panels
with clearcoat are made
from a thermoplastic
alloy blend from GE
plastics.
Bayer's hybrid technology links the metal and plastic by
combining them into one component. The GOR consists of
two metal stampings of 220 bake-hardened mild steel with a nominal thickness of 0.5 mm
(0.02 in) and heat-stabilized polyamide 6 resin with a nominal thickness of 2.5 mm (0.1 in).
The metal stampings are placed in a mold and the resin flows into and around them,
mechanically locking to the metal and forming a single integrated unit. The component part
maintains dimensional stability after being e-coated and painted.
Engineers from Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors theorize that automobile hoods will be very
different in the future-a smaller, removable part with no hinges. Value analysis shows that the
opening functionality is very expensive, considering the number of times the hood is opened in
a vehicle's life. Given recent advances toward 160,000 km (100,000 mi) distances before
major engine tune-up, the value of a highly engineered hinged hood becomes questionable. A
painted off-line solution can be realized with a skin in mineral-filled PP and a structure with
glass-filled PP. To paint the hood on-line, a hybrid solution can be adopted with the skin in a
polyamide/polyphenylene ether (PPE) alloy and a structure in SMC, Plastic Omnium has
found. Owens Corning, Bayer, and SIA Adhesives supplied the materials that Cambridge
Industries molded for the 2001 Chevy Silverado composite pickup box. The box's outer panels
and outer tailgate are made of reinforced reaction injection molded (RRIM) materials, chiefly
polyurea with mica filler. The outer panels bolt or snap on for easy removal, repair, or
replacement with minimal downtime. The one-piece inner panel and the inside of the tailgate
are formed by a high-density, structural reaction injection molding (HD-SRIM) process and
consist of Bayer's Baydur 425 internal mold release (IMR) polyurethane system. The Baydur
system is combined with various reinforcements to make a structural composite, including
both preformable and nonpreformable glass-fiber mats, as well as directed chopped glassfiber preforms. Scratches on the inside of the box or tailgate can be polished out with a
silicone cleanser. The new box reduced the weight of the truck by 22.7 kg (50 lb), with the
tailgate alone being 6.8 kg (15 lb) lighter than the current steel tailgate.
The 2001 Explorer Sport Trac is Ford's first truck to include an SMC composite box. Molded
by The Budd Company with glass fibers from Owens Corning, the material was developed
specifically for light trucks. It is a vinyl ester with random glass fibers that produces a part 20%
lighter than the traditional steel pickup box. Owens Corning predicts the use of composites for
pickup truck boxes to grow from zero today to more than 30,000 t (33,000 ton) annually within
the next five years.
Cambridge Industries is supplying an SMC tri-door rear closure system (liftgate and cargo
doors) on the 2000 Ford Excursion SUV. The SMC system is comprised of inner and outer
panels bonded with epoxy adhesive. It allowed for design flexibility such as molded-in
retention features for attachment of interior trim components, hinge mounting locating points,
and metal reinforcements. Several metal components were eliminated early during product
design, such as reinforcements required for the door latch handle attachment. The material
exceeds the temperature range requirements in the e-coat paint ovens at Ford's Kentucky
Truck Plant, with the tri-door system being 15% lighter than a comparable system made from
sheet metal. Tooling costs for the composite system were approximately 75% less than the
costs associated with steel doors.
Chrysler worked with DuPont (alloy development), A. Schulman (color development), and
Build-A-Mold (tooling) to design the injection-molded exterior fascia of the 2000 Dodge Neon.
The fascia is made of Surlyn Reflection Series alloy, a DuPont molded-in-color supergloss for
exterior trim applications. The new supergloss product is an engineered alloy of ionomer and
polyamide resins, resulting in improved colorability and toughness from the ionomer, and
scratch resistance from polyamide. Material development was focused on conventional
injection-molding processes. However, co-injection molding technology and sheet
thermoforming technology and processes are being explored.
The DaimlerChrysler Smart micro compact car sold in Europe features interchangeable
molded-in color body panels. The panels are supplied by Dynamit Nobel and molded from GE
Plastics' Xenoy, a thermoplastic alloy blend of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and PC
resins. The amorphous PC provides impact resistance and toughness while the crystalline
PBT structure provides enhanced chemical resistance and thermal stability to -40°C (-40°F).
The functionality of the panels include high impact strength for dent resistance, reduced fuel
consumption due to a 50% weight reduction, and inherent corrosion resistance. The alloy
blend is characterized by its chemical resistance, a high temperature dimensional stability up
to 140°C (284°F), UV resistance, good lubricity, and color retention. The panels offer more
than 7 colors to choose from with clearcoat provided by the molder, eliminating the paint shop
step from the vehicle's production.
Interior
A look inside the passenger compartment of virtually any
vehicle shows the dominance of plastics, with nearly every
solid surface or fabric a polymer. According to experts, the
passenger compartment accounts for 56% of the total
usage of automotive plastics. The passenger compartment
is also the part of the vehicle that traditionally bears the
highest assembly costs. The potential advantages of
plastics in facilitating component consolidation and
modular construction make them attractive interior
materials. PVC was once the almost universal surface in
car interiors. Although it survives as seals and as fascia
coverings in combination with acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS) and polyurethane (PUR), it has largely been
displaced from seats and door panels. GM has gone so far
as to announce its intention to replace PVC on all new
vehicle interior panels by 2004, citing its tendency to crack,
warp, and fade too quickly. Window fogging has also been
a problem with PVC-based material due its plasticizer
content.
Traditionally, instrument panels were made from several
separate components that needed to be painted and that
were all held together by a steel supporting beam that lay
behind the panel. Today, thanks to modern plastics
technology, instrument panels are made of ABS, ABS/PC
alloys, PCs, PP, modified PPE, and styrene maleic
anhydride (SMA) resins. The use of these plastics enabled
the elimination of the steel support beam in some cases,
providing savings of both cost and weight. Wholly
integrated single-piece units can be manufactured from allurethane and all-PP resins for a seamless instrument
panel with reduced NVH levels, molded-in color, and cost
and weight savings.
Delphi Automotive Systems' TPO skin instrument panel
represents a new generation of TPO product technology,
an instrument panel skin molded from TPO rather than
from a PVC compound. TPO is a material made by
combining rubber with PP and has been used in
automotive applications for decades. PP is the lightest and
lowest-cost form of plastic. Rubberized PP is classified as
TPO when the material contains at least 20% rubber.
Delphi's TPO-skin
instrument panel
provides a weight
reduction of 10%.
Delphi's recycling
process allows for inplant, closed-loop
recycling of 100% offal
directly back into the
skin.
From the roof frame to
the door liners to the
upholstery components,
numerous applications
on the Audi TT utilize
Bayer materials.
Delphi applied its TPO skin technology to the upper and
lower panels of the 2000 Pontiac Bonneville and the 1999
and 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class, providing a panel with
a weight reduction of 10%. The product was created by a
partnership between Delphi, Mercedes-Benz, toolmaker D&E Corp., and Mytex Polymers, a
partnership of ExxonMobil Chemical Co. and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. Delphi overcame the
challenge of offering deep draw capability with TPO, meaning that the material can be
vacuum-formed to meet complex shape and contour demands. The material enables hidden
airbag doors without seam read-through and airbag deployments without fragmentation at low
temperatures.
Delphi uses water-based primer and topcoat systems on its TPO components, reducing
ozone-forming volatile organic compound emissions. Delphi's process for the TPO-skin
manufacturing allows for in-plant, closed-loop recycling of 100% offal directly back into the
skin.
When P.L. Porter Co. switched from metal to composite components on its automotive seatreclining mechanism, the firm chose for its swing arm component Verton RF, a long glassfiber-reinforced nylon 66 structural composite from LNP Engineering Plastics, that had the
necessary compressive and tensile strength. A swing arm component is the seat-reclining
mechanism actuated by a handle on the side of the car seat. It is a locking device that allows
passengers to move the seat back and forth, and must be made of a high-strength material to
support normal loads, as well as extra loads such as someone stepping on the handle. In a
two-door car or truck, a lever is actuated to dump the seat forward to enable passengers to
climb into the back seat. For the dump lever component, the firm chose Lubricomp RFL, a
glass-fiber-reinforced lubricated nylon 66 composite also from LNP. The nylon dump lever has
an internal lubricant that reduces friction and wear rates. By using the two composites, P.L.
Porter was able to incorporate the seat dump within the reclining mechanism for about a third
of the cost of the original part.
In the interior of the Audi TT, plastic components create the link between aesthetics and
functionality. The door liners are made from the ABS polymer Lustran 2443 developed by
Bayer specifically for this application. Because of its good flow properties, the complex
geometries of the door trim panels were produced economically and without problem by
injection molding. Indentations, handle recesses, openings for switches and speakers, and the
various fastening elements could all be directly integrated. The manufacturer of the moldings
is Seeber Systemtechnik KG. Due to its high-impact strength, the thermoplastic lining is
unlikely to splinter, reducing the risk of injury to the driver and passengers in the event of a
side impact. The material also bonds well with standard solvent-based and solvent-free
laminating adhesives that are used to fix decorative facings. The center console of the TT is
also made of Lustran, injection molded by Peguform Bohemia.
The A- and C-pillars and the roof frame are made of Bayblend, Bayer's PC-ABS blend. This
plastic is noted for its consistent mechanical properties at low wall thicknesses. Polyurethane
foam padding made of Bayer's Bayfill EA and produced by Thieme is built into particularly
critical areas of the A- and C-pillars, the rear section of the roof, and the rear side-trim panels.
In the event of a crash, force absorption by the padding is more or less equal over a wide
deformation range so that even low component thicknesses will absorb impact energy.
The upholstery components of the seats in the Audi TT are made of Bayer's flexible
polyurethane molded foam, Bayfit HR-T. The properties of Bayfit enable foams of different
hardness to be produced to improve seating comfort and driving safety. The front seat
cushions can be given side zones with higher stability to enable safer driving around corners,
and make it easier for people to get in and out.
Under the hood
M.A. Hanna Engineered
Materials uses a nylon
resin reinforced by both
glass-fiber and mineral
fillers for automotive
cooling systems.
The electronic throttle
control mechanism on
the 2000 Ford Transit
was developed by
Teleflex Automotive
Group using DuPont's
Zytel 33% glassreinforced nylon 66 resin.
NRI Industries' Symar-T
contains up to 60% postconsumer rubber and is
used on the lower
radiator seal of the 1999
Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Hexcel's composite leaf
springs weigh up to 60%
less than steel
counterparts and absorb
energy more readily.
The RITec fan shroud
assembly consolidates
five parts into a single,
blow-molded component.
Rover's air-intake
manifold made of glass-
reinforced nylon 66 from
DuPont reduces weight
by 40%.
Rover used nylon resins
from BASF Plastics for
the air-intake manifold on
its 2-L, four-cylinder
turbodiesel engine.
Mark IV's thermoplastic
manifold features a
communications valve
that allows the manifold
to shift between its two
plenums.
Dana produces the
thermoplastic rocker
cover for Tritec's new
1.6-L, 4-cylinder engine.
TI Group Automotive
System's 2000x Smart
Tank is an electrically
managed fuel storage
While some experts believe there will be, in the future, little
need for highly engineered hoods, there will always be
plenty of highly engineered parts under the hood. As the
drive to reduce weight and increase the level of integration
for automotive components continues, product engineers
and molders will face the challenge of producing larger
components in engineering plastics while at the same time
maintaining dimensional tolerances after molding.
Structural components require glass-fiber reinforcement
for stiffness purposes, but during the injection-molding
process the fiber orients with the flow of the polymer,
which could lead to anisotropic shrinkage during cooling
and warpage of the part. This problem is made worse
where the flow path typical in large parts is more complex
and long flow lengths are required. Although jigs can be
used after molding to achieve part flatness, this can lead to
frozen-in stress in the part, causing warping or early
mechanical failure in service.
and delivery system that
features a plastic multilayer tank with a vapor
barrier and in-tank
computer.
Permblok corrugated
hose products for vapor
lines are made of plastic
in single- or multi-layer
construction.
Nylon 66 resin is a widely used base polymer for underthe-hood components because of its balance of properties,
such as good heat performance, resistance to oils and
other chemicals, and toughness. However, like most semicrystalline materials, nylon has a relatively high shrinkage,
leading to larger differences in the flow/cross-flow direction
for simple glass-fiber-reinforced materials. Cooling system
Solvay's six-layer codesigners working with M.A. Hanna Engineered Materials
extruded HDPE fuel
faced that problem during the design of a large cooling fan
storage and delivery
housing that required a reinforced nylon 66 resin. The
system.
large size of the part and the tolerances between fixing
points demanded higher performance than could be delivered by a standard glass-fiberreinforced grade. In this case, the solution was Bergamid PA66, a tailor-made material from
M.A. Hanna that uses both glass-fiber and mineral fillers for the stiffness and reduced
warpage that the cooling fan housing required.
The electronic throttle control (ETC) mechanism on the 2000 Ford Transit was developed and
produced by Teleflex Automotive Group using DuPont's Zytel 33% glass-reinforced nylon 66
resin. The ETC, also known as drive-by-wire, consists of an all-plastic intermediate electrical
control housing that encapsulates a wire lead frame, plastic outer housing/mounting bracket,
and a plastic cover that is heat-staked in place. The ETC links the engine controls with two
electrical signals: a limit switch that signals whenever there is no driver foot pressure on the
pedal, and an integrated sensor that provides a variable acceleration/deceleration signal
based on the position of the pedal. The new thermoplastic ETC pedal looks and feels like a
standard mechanically linked pedal, and is considered the next step in continuing the growth
of plastics in the automotive chassis segment that a 1999 Market Search Inc. automotive
plastics report predicted will grow by 38% before 2009.
Responding to the growing need for recycled content in automotive materials, NRI Industries
developed Symar-T, a hybrid polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer containing up to 60%
post-consumer, tire-derived rubber. The material is used on the lower radiator seal of the 1999
Jeep Grand Cherokee, combining the benefits of rubber and plastic to cost-effectively cool
airflow and improve grille appearance. According to NRI, 1,531,000 kg (3,375,000 lb) of
Symar-T is used per year, removing 150,000 scrap tires from landfill waste.
Hexcel Corp.'s prepregs are fiber-reinforced resin systems that are cured under pressure to
produce stiff yet lightweight structural components. According to the company, the energyabsorption and fatigue-resistance characteristics of the prepregs make them an ideal
candidate for composite leaf springs. Composite leaf springs weigh up to 60% less than their
steel counterparts, while absorbing energy more readily than steel and providing a more
comfortable ride. Fatigue resistance is greater than with steel so that in the unlikely event of a
fracture with composites, the failure would be gradual and identifiable, avoiding the sudden
catastrophic failure characteristic of metal parts.
Composite leaf springs are noncorrosive and resistant to salt damage in winter climates as
well as oil, gasoline, and battery acid. Unlike metal, it is unnecessary to coat them with
protective anti-corrosion paint. Hexcel's composite leaf springs are molded into shape in a
single operation. The prepreg process enables leaf spring designers to incorporate contoured
shapes as a single part. The reduced part count and volume processing of composite leaf
springs can provide added cost benefits to the manufacturer. Hexcel's prepregs for leaf
springs are supplied with a uni-directional glass-fiber reinforcement and woven or multiaxial
glass or aramid fibers. The pregregs are supplied in roll form and are cut to shape before
being placed into a mold tool.
Making the switch from traditional injection molding to blow molding, McCord Winn Textron's
RITec (reservoir integration technology) modular fluid-management system for the 2000
Dodge Durango/Dakota consolidated the radiator fan shroud, coolant reservoir, front and rear
washer reservoirs, and the rear washer reservoir fill funnel into a single, blow-molded
component. This component integration saved engine compartment space, eliminated a
number of fasteners, reduced assembly floor space and time, and reduced vehicle mass by
0.5 kg (1.2 lb).
Montell supplied the PP resin, Pro-fax HMS, for the system, with tool and process design from
Hobson Mould Works. Industrial Design Associates Inc. assisted in the final RITec part design
and engineering recommendations, as well as the preliminary tool design. The inherent matte
finish, heat-deflection temperature performance, and environmental stress crack resistance of
the PP resin was critical in the selection of the material over high-density polyethylene
(HDPE). The component's weight reduction was due in part to the unfilled Pro-fax HMS being
27% less dense than conventional 40% mineral-filled PP. The material provided blow-molding
processability improvements over traditional blow-molding materials, such as higher melt
strength and greater blow-up ratio, which resulted in a more uniform material distribution.
The BMW Group's new active air-intake manifold for Rover is made of Zytel, a glassreinforced nylon 66 from DuPont. The component is Rover's first plastic intake system on a
V6. Switching from aluminum to nylon reduced weight by 40% and costs by approximately
30%. The manifold offers reduced complexity while delivering significantly more torque than
the passive aluminum manifold it replaces, incorporating MANN+HUMMEL's patented
overmolding process using dissimilar materials to create all-plastic flap valves. The flap
valves, the valve's frame, shaft, and flap are all formed successively in the mold and joined
during the injection-molding process, made possible by using two different types of nylon for
the valve's frame and flap. Once molded, the valve assemblies are then ultrasonically welded
to the manifold, eliminating any assembly steps.
The intake manifold is made using the lost-core process while the plenum cover and the
manifold are joined using vibration or shell welding. All of the secondary components are
attached using self-tapping screws, which eliminates the need for threaded metal inserts. The
active design incorporates six molded flap valves in the runners and a resonance valve in the
plenum. Incoming air is ducted along a Y-shaped tube into two parallel plenums, one for each
bank of cylinders. A resonance flap that separates or connects the plenums is located at the
closed end. Individual runners branch off from the two plenums to the cylinder head. Each
intake runner is connected to a third plenum via the performance flaps, which are actuated by
a pushrod. When the flaps are opened, the runner lengths are reduced from 500 to 350 mm
(20 to 14 in).
Mark IV announced at the SAE 2000 World Congress in March that its first thermoplastic
manifold for North America is also being produced with DuPont's Zytel. It was developed by
Ford and Mark IV with technical material support from DuPont. Ford will use the dual-plenum
air-intake manifold for its 4.6-L SOHC Triton V8 engines on 2000 F-150/-250 trucks, as well as
on some Expedition SUVs and Econoline vans. The manifold is an active system featuring a
communications valve that allows the manifold to shift between its two plenums, which Mark
IV says delivers optimum torque at a wider range of operating speeds.
Using Zytel enabled the company to add a new gasket carrier assembly, eliminating the
compression limiters normally required on the gasket carrier assembly, cutting manufacturing
steps, lowering piece count, and reducing the system complexity. The new component
contains two injection-molded shells that are vibration welded, replacing the original
component that was produced using the lost-core method. According to Mark IV, switching to
vibration welding results in a smoother interior finish, reducing resistance to airflow, which in
turn improves engine performance.
Rover worked with several companies for an all-plastic air-intake manifold module for its 2-L,
four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. The module consists of an air-intake manifold, an engine
cover, and an air-filter housing. All the components are injection molded using nylon resins
from BASF Plastics. Ultramid A3HG7, a 35% glass-fiber-reinforced nylon 66, is used to mold
the air-intake manifold. This material resists high engine temperatures and attack from hot oil,
gasoline, and diesel fuel while maintaining high strength and stiffness.
The one-piece air-filter housing cover uses an internal rib structure to reduce noise emitted by
the camshafts, the valve-drive assembly, and the fuel injectors, as well as noise produced by
the vibrating column of air. It is molded by BASF of Ultramid B3GM24, a nylon 6 containing
10% glass-fiber filler and 20% mineral filler. The one-piece valve cover includes an oil-filler
pipe, a base for the oil separator and pressure controller, and openings for the diesel-fuel
injectors and the intake ports, which route a portion of the intake through the valve cover and
the cylinder head into the cylinders. Reinforcing ribs acoustically optimize the valve cover,
which is molded of Ultramid A3WGM53, a nylon 66 with 25% glass-fiber filler and 15% mineral
filler.
The turbodiesel manifold module was produced using standard injection-molding techniques
and vibration welding. It has a mass of 6 kg (13 lb) and was developed through an
international joint venture by BMW, BASF Plastics, Robert Bosch Corp., Mark IV, Knecht,
Joma, and IBS Brocke.
Featuring a thermoplastic rocker cover, Tritec's new 1.6-L, four-cylinder engine is an optional
powertrain for the Dodge Neon in North America and the Rover R50 in Europe. Dana Corp.
produces the cover from DuPont Minlon mineral-reinforced nylon to provide a series of
integrated baffles to separate oil from the crankcase ventilation air supply. The rocker cover
accommodates the PCV valve, includes a molded-in air make-up nipple, provides heat-staked
inserts for mounting the ignition coil, and includes two heat-staked baffle plates. Functionality
is improved within the engine through the use of an integrated oil pan gasket carrier made of
DuPont Zytel nylon.
At the SAE 2000 World Congress, TI Group Automotive Systems exhibited what it calls the
automotive industry's first electronically managed fuel storage and delivery system. The 2000x
Smart Tank features its own in-tank computer that receives commands and delivers
processed information directly to the vehicle's onboard computer network.
The tank itself is a plastic co-extruded, multi-layer design with a vapor barrier to control
evaporative emissions. The complete system has only two connectors: one for the filler tube,
the other for a subsystem assembly that includes a smart pump, a smart purge, electronic
control module, and fuel-level diagnostic sensors that meet OBD II specifications. The tank
incorporates internal fuel pressure generation and control, a stationary piezo sensor to
measure fuel volume, vapor collection, carbon vapor storage, a fuel/fill stop valve, an allposition fuel reservoir, and a life-of-the-vehicle final filter. The plastic tank can be shaped to
detailed vehicle specifications, with other advantages including higher efficiency and reduced
electrical consumption.
TI Automotive also exhibited a corrugated hose product for fuel lines called Permblok. The
hoses are made of plastic in single- or multi-layer construction for use in fuel vapor
management systems. The new component allows easy part assembly and reduces the
potential for kinking during installation and operation.
TI Automotive was formed in June 1999 following TI Group's acquisition of Walbro Corp. In
September, the company expanded again by completing the acquisition of the remaining 51%
of Marwal, a joint venture of Magneti-Marelli and Walbro. The company now claims that more
than half of the world's annual car production relies on TI Group's fluid-carrying technologies.
If TI Group considers itself as having more than half of the world's fluid-carrying systems,
Solvay and Plastic Omnium want what's left. The two firms have signed an agreement in
principle to combine their automotive fuel systems operations in a new equally shared
company. According to Solvay, the firm is the global leader of HDPE fuel storage and delivery
systems, supplying more than 30% of all tanks currently in production in North America.
Solvay was among the first to develop smooth-wall processing in the 1960s. That experience
led to the development of lost-core injection molding in the early 1980s and the first production
program of a glass-reinforced air-intake manifold.
What's next?
Ford considers its
Prodigy prototype to be
an interim step toward an
affordable production
hybrid in 2003.
Ford's TH!NK city uses
polyethylene body
panels with an ABS
plastic roof.
The Precept from GM,
unveiled at the 2000
NAIAS, features RRIMcomposite parts, panels
with Kevlar
reinforcement, carbonfiber components, and
expanded polypropylene.
DaimlerChrysler's ESX3
concept car is 46%
lighter and 15% less
costly to manufacture
than a comparable metal
body.
The main structure of the
ESX3 has only 12
pieces, compared with
up to 100 metal pieces in
a conventional car.
Thermoplastic elastomer
materials from E-A-R
Specialty Composites.
All three U.S. automakers have unveiled vehicles aimed at
achieving the PNGV goals with a variety of new
powertrains and weight-saving technologies. All three are
getting closer to the goal, and technology is continually
changing to enable the companies to do so. Manufacturing
techniques and component-material technology will have
to continue to evolve to enable automakers to put out a
cost-effective pre-production vehicle that achieves 100%
of the goals by 2004.
Ford became the first of the three PNGV-affiliated
automakers to deliver a fully functional hybrid electric
family sedan research vehicle to the DOE in October.
Called the Ford P2000 LSR (low storage requirement), the
five-passenger vehicle's powertrain is 40% lighter than that
of a Taurus sedan. Aluminum is used extensively for the
engine and body, with carbon fiber, magnesium, and
titanium used in a variety of parts for further weight saving.
The P2000 is powered by a proton exchange membrane
(PEM) fuel cell, with each cell having an anode and
cathode electrode separated by a compressed polymer
electrolyte.
The underside and top of
the roof module that
Meritor manufacturers for
the Smart car.
The Quantum Group has
chosen DuPont Hytrel
thermoplastic polyester
elastomer as a key
element in its "future
fabric" designs for
automotive seating.
At the NAIAS, Ford unveiled the Prodigy prototype, what
the company considers an interim step between the P2000
and its plans for an affordable production hybrid in 2003
(AEI March 2000). The Prodigy uses the same lightweight
material mix as the P2000, having a mass of 1080 kg (2390 lb) and achieving a 3.02-L/100 km
(78-mpg) diesel fuel economy, a gasoline equivalent of better than 3.36 L/100 km (70 mpg).
Ford relied much more on plastics for its battery-powered TH!NK city electric vehicle that is
currently for sale in Norway. The two-seat vehicle has a mass of 940 kg (2075 lb) and features
polyethylene body panels and an ABS roof.
GM unveiled its answer to the PNGV program at the NAIAS, the Precept, a fully functional
hybrid electric five-passenger sedan that achieves 2.94 L/100 km (80 mpg) (AEI January
2000). The Precept uses a light, stiff spaceframe body structure constructed of aluminum
stampings, extrusions, and castings. Exterior panels are made of aluminum and composite
materials. The front and rear fascia and rocker covers are RRIM composite parts, and the roof
is a structural composite panel with Kevlar reinforcement. Carbon-fiber components total 20
kg (44 lb) and include front and rear bumper beams, headlamp and taillamp mounting panels,
front storage tub, and select belly pans. The rear package shelf and headliner are made of
expanded polypropylene, as is the substrate for the instrument panel and door trim pads. Total
mass for the expanded polypropylene is 35 kg (77 lb). Overall, the mass is 45% less than a
comparable steel body design.
In late February DaimlerChrysler unveiled its Dodge ESX3 concept car that depends on
technology developed through PNGV. At only 1020 kg (2250 lb), it uses DaimlerChrysler's
injection-molded thermoplastic technology first shown in the fall of 1997 in the four-piece
Composite Concept Vehicle (CCV). The main structure of the Dodge ESX3 has only 12
pieces, compared to up to 100 metal pieces in a conventional car. But what DaimlerChrysler
executives consider the most impressive technical feat is that its lightweight body costs less
than a conventional steel body-and much less than other lightweight material options such as
aluminum, titanium, or thermoset composites.
The low-cost, lightweight material also helps offset the weight and cost of the mild hybrid
("mybrid") electric powertrain that consists of a three-cylinder, 1.5-L, all-aluminum directinjected diesel engine and 15-kW (20-hp) peak-power electric motor. The body is estimated to
weigh 46% less and cost 15% less to manufacture than a comparable metal one, while
contributing to an average 3.27-L/100 km (72-mpg) gasoline equivalent. A patent is pending
on DaimlerChrysler's proprietary mix of thermoplastic, aluminum, and lightweight structural
foam that make up the ESX3 body. The concept car was actually built with hand-made
thermoset materials that match the properties of the injection-molded thermoplastic design. It
was also hand-painted, as the technology does not yet exist to mold this particular material
with a glossy finish. A combination of aluminum, magnesium, steel, and composites make up
the powertrain and chassis of the ESX3.
Computer-simulated crash tests show that the ESX3 concept car stands up to all required
federal tests. Data gained from actual crashes of CCV prototype vehicles, in temperatures
varying from -40° to +100°C (-40° to +210°F), helped provide the necessary input to get
accurate computer test results. Aluminum tubular sections are combined with the injectionmolded thermoplastic body sections to provide body stiffness and crisp ride and handling
characteristics. The company refers to the thin aluminum sections as the "sparseframe" to
distinguish it from currently available vehicles that simply hang plastic body panels over a
conventional, metal spaceframe.
While the varying types of composites and plastics used in vehicles today are sometimes
difficult to recycle, DaimlerChrysler estimates at least 80% of the ESX3 could be recycled,
which could increase in the future as the market for recycled materials evolves. Continued
testing and improvements in generating a high-gloss surface color without conventional paint
are required before DaimlerChrysler can produce vehicles made with the thermoplastic
material. The company first introduced the ESX3's new material technology on Jeep Wrangler
hardtops for the 2001 model year (AEI January 2000), a project that includes Husky Injection
Molding Systems, Decoma International, Montell, Ashland Chemical, and Paragon Die &
Engineering.
Suppliers have also been busy, and will continue to be, developing new materials to enable
automakers to achieve PNGV goals. Owens Corning and DSM Automotive Polymers
developed a new, patented material system called StaMax P compound, a thermoplastic that
compounds PP with longer glass fibers than was possible using traditional composite
compounding processes. The firms estimate that the StaMax P compound could replace up to
60 kg (132 lb) of metal on a typical vehicle. The material bridges the gap between traditional
short-fiber composite systems and more expensive glass mat thermoplastics (GMTs). This
makes it possible to be both cost effective and continue to provide replacement of semistructural metal parts. The material system uses readily available molding processes, with
typical applications including integrated front-end systems, splash shields, and door cassette
systems. It is currently being considered by European automobile manufacturers for about 30
individual parts, with active development work under way on about 15 of those potential
applications. The first application reached commercial production at the end of last year, with
several more expected this year.
VersaDamp is a new family of vibration- and shock-isolation thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)
materials from E-A-R Specialty Composites whose formulations can be adjusted to optimize
damping performance or durometer, or both. The materials are injection-molded into isolators
and other equipment components with limited isolator sway space. Applications include those
with wide-ranging operating temperatures, such as small motors, fans, and electrical relay
boxes. The materials contain no free sulfur, carbon, or plasticizer.
Roof module technology developed by Meritor Automotive is expected to find its way onto a
European passenger car as early as model year 2004, offering a roof module with a 40%
weight savings. The technology is currently under active review by several major automakers
in North America and Europe, and a version is already in low-volume production for the Smart
car. The ready-to-install module is produced through a process where a polyurethane
composite is layered between the vehicle's outer roof skin and its interior headliner. The roof
exterior-which can be constructed of steel, aluminum, or plastic-is delivered to Meritor preformed and painted. Polyurethane foam is injected between the exterior skin and interior
fabric.
During the process, aluminum or steel coils are pre-painted to match the vehicle color, then
formed using a Meritor-developed "floating" deep draw process that allows the material to
move, or "flow," so that the material does not stretch, and in turn the paint is not broken or
marred. During the application of the polyurethane foam, resin and fiberglass combinations
can be varied throughout the roof, enabling softer areas above passengers and stiffer
locations for mounting handles and light housings.
Meritor is also using a polyurethane foam for the vehicle headliner. The foam can be folded to
fit through an assembly car/truck roof opening, then affixed to cover the entire interior surface.
The company is now testing and validating the encapsulation of various components during
module construction and has already successfully integrated wiring harnesses and roofmounted grab handles. The second-generation modules will integrate a number of other
components or systems, including antennae, sensors, sunroofs, telematics, and rollover
protection airbags.
DuPont Dow Elastomers introduced two new types of Viton fluoroelastomers at the SAE 2000
World Congress, Viton TBR and Viton IBR, for aggressive powertrain applications. Viton TBR
offers improved base resistance and processing characteristics, in addition to the hightemperature performance and chemical resistance of Viton A and B types. Viton TBR is
recommended for use in applications with very aggressive lubricants and greases, such as
wheel bearing and differential seals, as well as engine crankshaft, camshaft, and valve stem
seals when total base resistance is required. For applications in less aggressive lubricants and
additive packages, but still requiring better resistance than standard fluoroelastomers, Viton
IBR offers improved base resistance and a good balance of properties.
Montell-JPO Co. (MJC), Montell's joint venture with Japan Polyolefins Co., is involved in a
cooperative project with Toyota to develop a single PP-based material resin that could be
used for automotive applications from dashboards to bumpers. Creating such a material will
mean expanding the polyolefin property envelope along every relevant parameter from
mechanical performance and processability to appearance and weathering. It would also
provide advantages in terms of supply and manufacturing logistics, as well as recycling
potential. The projected material will be known as TSOP-6 (Toyota Super Olefin Polymer) and
is intended to replace four existing TSOP grades currently supplied to Toyota by MJC and
other Japanese producers.
Therban hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) from Bayer already plays an important role as a
base polymer for high-performance elastomers. In automobile engines it reliably withstands
both extreme temperatures and exposure to oils and fuels. At SAE 2000 World Congress,
Bayer introduced two new grades it says have even better resistance.
HNBR rubber grades are ideal raw materials for elastomer formulations expected to perform
even under extreme conditions. This is the case, for example, with fuel hoses and technical
rubber goods in cars. Fully and partially hydrogenated Therban grades bridge the gap
between oil-resistant nitrile rubber grades and the extremely heat-resistant but very expensive
fluoroelastomers. Therban FT (fluoropolymer technology) extends the performance profile of
Bayer HNBR grades. These products are also resistant to oxygen-containing fuel components
such as methanol, ethanol, and MTBE (methyl-tert-butylether). Therban's usual rubber
properties, in particular its low temperature flexibility, are naturally retained. The product can
be easily processed in an internal mixer, extruder, or injection-molding machine.
Bayer's development scientists have also responded specifically to the increasingly high longterm temperatures encountered in practice with Therban HT. Compounds that contain this
component as well as standard grades can resist long-term temperatures of up to 165°C
(329°F), an improvement of about 15°C (26°F). Under such extreme conditions, Therban HT
retains its property profile twice as long as previous HNBR grades. This means that the
service life of a timing belt, for example, can be doubled. In addition, the HT elastomer is able
to resist the aggressive lubricant additives that are being used more and more frequently in
high-performance engines.
DuPont and The Quantum Group announced at SAE 2000 World Congress that the two firms
will be working together to develop future fabrics for automotive interior seating applications in
response to and in anticipation of future trends in reduced foam seats. A fabric made of
DuPont Hytrel thermoplastic polyester elastomer provides mass and space savings, while
improving driver and passenger comfort. Conventional automotive seats have an estimated
13.6 kg (30 lb) of foam, which the companies believe could be dramatically reduced using
Hytrel polyester. New elastomeric fabrics based on Hytrel technology can also replace springs
in foam-based seat systems.
The fabric features resistance to creep, impact, and flex fatigue, while also providing flexibility
at low temperatures, and good retention of properties at elevated temperatures. It also resists
deterioration from numerous chemicals, oils, and solvents. These properties have made Hytrel
successful in other automotive applications including airbag deployment doors, air-intake
ducts, and constant velocity joint boots.
DaimlerChrysler announced in mid-March that it has developed a cost-effective, fiberreinforced ceramic for use in brakes. Ceramic brakes have several advantages over
conventional materials. They are heat and rust resistant, while having one-third the mass of
steel. They are also not subject to wear or warping, thus being essentially maintenance free.
However, fiber-reinforced ceramics, which overcome the problem of brittleness of traditional
ceramic materials, have been too expensive for large-scale use. With a combination of carbon
and silicon developed by DaimlerChrysler researchers, brake discs made from fiber-reinforced
ceramics can be produced on a large scale.
Initial field studies have shown that ceramic brakes perform still reliably after about 300,000
km (180,000 mi) of use. Brake disk changes are not needed, saving the time and expense of
maintenance. To produce the fiber-reinforced ceramics, short carbon fibers, carbon powder,
and resin are first compressed and then heated to and held at about 1000°C (1830°F). During
this process, the carbon bonds to form a stable framework similar to when pieces of ice fuse
together. When cooled, this material can be shaped into the desired form. After grinding the
brake disk blank to size, the finished blank is reheated together with silicon, causing the pores
in the carbon framework to absorb the silicon. This fiber-reinforced ceramic material cools
overnight, and the dark gray brake disc is ready for use.
Automobile Recycling
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Recycling
LEARN MORE ABOUT AUTOMOBILE RECYCLING: RECYCLING & RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
DOCUMENTS
News Recycling Process Reclaims More Usable Materials from End-of-Life Vehicles
Americans scrap about fifteen million cars and trucks each year. The good news is that today,
approximately 75% of the material from those vehicles is recycled; the bad news is that the remaining
25% is not....
Evaluating the environmental attributes of a product requires looking at all stages of a
product's life cycle. Observing the complete life cycle of the production, use and disposal of a
product helps obtain a clearer and more complete picture of the product's evironmental
inventory. It is determined not only by what the product is composed of on the date you buy
it, or whether it has recycled content.
Life cycle considers a product's entire life -- "cradle to grave." This information can be used
with other factors, such as cost and performance data to help select a product. Never forget
the big picture....for more information read LCA 101: Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment.
Lightweighting with materials made from plastics can contribute to fuel conservation. Learn
more about Plastics Applications for Fuel Conservation.
Life Cycle Assessment and Public Policy Development for the Automotive Industry
Presented at the Total Life Cycle Conference and Exposition, Auburn Hills, MI, April 7-9,
1997
by Rodney W. Lowman
Vice President, Government Affairs
American Plastics Council
Although engineers have looked at energy use and waste generation for well over a
century, initially because of their obvious impact on a company's bottom line, it wasn't
until the 1960s that many companies began analyzing whole industrial systems. Modeling
exercises such as the 1969 National Academy of Science's "Resources and Man" and the
1972 Club of Rome's "A Blueprint for Survival" fostered concerns about world population
growth and the possibility of the exhaustion of fossil fuels, mineral resources and growing
environmental problems. Although some of the predictions were somewhat extreme (for
example, one Club of Rome study predicted that the earth's fossil fuels would be
depleted by 1992), they did spark interest in describing the behavior of extended
industrial systems to learn more about their environmental impact.
My intent today is to give you a brief overview of how this practice of analyzing life cycle
impacts evolved; to identify evolving environmental policy initiatives, both domestic and
international, affecting the automotive industry; and to comment on the role of life cycle
analysis as an approach to public policy development.
Over the last 20 years, environmental pressures from governments and public opinion
led to the evolution of measuring an industrial system's environmental impact. Initially,
interest focused on the use of energy and was often referred to as energy analysis,
requiring calculations to describe processes that naturally included the consumption of
raw materials and solid waste generation.
In addition to the concern over energy consumption, there had been a long-standing
recognition of environmental implications. Environmental issues such as global warming
and ozone depletion added to the need to consider potential emissions to both air and
water. Since the methodology for evaluating the global release of emissions is similar to
that used for calculating energy consumption, energy analysis was expanded to
encompass their computation. As a result, the term "energy analysis" evolved into Life
Cycle Analysis or Assessment (LCA). Since the oil crisis of the 1970s, regulators in North
America, Europe and Asia have conducted various types of LCA studies and private
companies have conducted internal LCAs as well.
In the mid-1970s, LCA began to play a more prominent role in the development of public
policy. For example, at the same time that energy awareness was growing, the
environmental lobby began focusing on the packaging industry, especially beverage
packaging, where the introduction of single use packaging was seen as wasteful. In the
United States, pressure grew to promote returnable containers and resulted in the 1972
pioneering bottle bill in Oregon that has since been replicated elsewhere. In Europe, the
European Commission directive on beverage packaging was passed in 1985. The data
used to promote this legislation were based on results of energy and resource analysis.
Today, LCA is an emerging tool worldwide in the development of public policy and in
design decisions. It analyzes multiple attributes of a product or system from cradle to
grave. It also has the unique ability to create a quantitative inventory listing of all
process inputs and outputs (including environmental emissions and energy resources)
from which tradeoff analyses can be made before making public policy decisions or
investing in significant products, changes or research.
A recent (1994) survey conducted by the Swedish Waste Research Council indicated a
number of motivations for conducting LCAs by policy makers. The data indicates that the
most common reasons for performing an LCA are to improve the environmental
performance of products and to make informed long-term policy decisions. Specifically,
the survey results indicated the following relative ranking of recommendations:

Help develop long-term national environmental policies,

Supply information needed for legislation or regulatory policy,

Gather environmental information, and

Evaluate claims by manufacturers.
This awakening of the public's consciousness towards energy conservation and
environmental issues, in addition to LCA's emergence as a measurement tool in a world
with an increasingly global economy, gave rise to a push for the global harmonization of
LCA standards.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) brought LCA to the forefront in
the early 1990s through ISO environmental management standards activities. Today,
experts from 29 countries are entering their fourth year in the development of the ISO
14000 standards for environmental management systems.
Some believe ISO 14000 could lead to greater LCA acceptance and increase the viability
of its expanded use in developing regulations by establishing tradeoffs. Others hope ISO
14000 will clarify the inherent limitations of LCA as a policy development tool.
In this regard, I believe we must be cautious in the use of LCI or LCA as decisional tools
in setting public policy. There are a range of inherent limitations that others can speak
to, but let me mention a few. First, data that may hold environmental significance in one
region is often not significant in another region, and this holds true across the globe. In
addition, the economic drivers in individual countries and regions are not currently taken
into account by typical LCA.
For example, landfill and incineration costs make the end of the life segment of a product
life cycle a much different issue in Japan than in the United States, where landfill costs
are much lower. As seen in this slide, the economic drivers for diverting material away
from solid waste varies significantly from country to country, depending on the relative
availability of landfills--supply and demand at work. In addition, the subjectivity involved
in evaluating the human health and environmental effects of process inputs and outputs
limits LCA's use, particularly across cultures where values and needs may differ. For
these reasons, LCA while useful to inform any policy debate should not be seen as a
dispositive decision making tool for development of global environmental policy.
What is driving environmental policy today in the automotive arena? The emphasis has
been on the last stage of the vehicle's life cycle -- end-of-life (EOL) vehicles. In some
European nations, public policy initiatives are directing responsibility to the automotive
manufacturers for EOL vehicles.
The initiative with the most widespread implications is the European Commission's "Draft
Directive on EOL Vehicles." Proposed in 1995, the draft directive combines the principles
of the "Directive of Packaging and Packaging Waste" and the recommendations of the
priority waste streams group. Proposals for the directive, which the commission hopes to
finalize this year, must then be approved by the European Parliament and Council of
Ministers. The target implementation date is 2002.
Approval of the proposed directive is by no means assured. The United Kingdom is
generally opposed to the idea of European legislation, and the European automotive
industry has questioned the need, because EOL vehicles account for less than 1 percent
of European Union waste, and that, in any case, the industry is already implementing the
strategy on a voluntary basis.
Additionally, several European countries have set, or are in the process of developing
guidelines for EOL vehicles.
For example, France established a system of shared responsibility in 1993. Vehicle
equipment manufacturers, dismantlers, recoverers and recyclers, together with material
producers, signed an agreement with the government on the management of EOL vehicle
waste. The agreement said that waste for ultimate disposal would amount to no more
than 15 percent of the total weight of the vehicle by 2002, and no more than 5 percent
by 2015. The importers of foreign vehicles also have endorsed this agreement. This type
of voluntary system is generally preferred by the auto industry when compared to the
proposals of the European Commission.
Germany approved an ordinance adopting a voluntary EOL recycling scheme proposed by
the German auto industry. Beginning in 1997, auto makers must take back used
domestic and foreign cars no older than 12 years, at no cost to the owner. This will only
apply to cars registered for the first time after the decree takes effect. The ordinance
calls on the automotive industry to establish a nationwide recovery and recycling
infrastructure within two years, and to increase a car's recyclable content from the
current 75 percent per unit weight to 85 percent by 2002 and 95 percent by 2015.
Sweden's Environmental Protection Agency wants producer responsibility to cover both
old and new automobiles: a recycling fee would be charged, but the Agency believes that
it is more important to dispose of hazardous substances safely and design them out of
new autos than to increase the proportion of material recycled. Swedish auto
manufacturers and wholesalers proposed a voluntary system under which they would
assume the main responsibility for collecting and disposing of EOL vehicles, but only
those registered after fall 1997.
The United Kingdom has no legal requirement for vehicle recycling, but a "Certificate of
Destruction" has been introduced to ensure the proper disposal of EOL vehicles. The
Automotive Consortium on Recycling and Disposal (ACORD) was set up in 1992.
Responding to a government challenge, it submitted an outline for a voluntary "producer
responsibility" plan in 1993 based on the priority waste stream's project group's
proposals.
The Netherlands has had a recycling subsidy program since 1994 in which auto buyers
must pay approximately $150 toward an automobile's dismantling and disposal on each
new car registered.
In Denmark, the automotive sector is one of seven where the Environment Minister has
opened negotiations with industry sectors on take-back arrangements.
In Japan, a lack of landfill space will make it increasingly costly to dispose of automobiles
(and other durable goods). Automobile and electronics manufacturers expect that they
will eventually be held directly responsible for their end-of-life plastics. Recently, the
Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) established numerical automotive
recycling targets for cars with engines between 1.5 and 2 liters in size.
In the United States, where landfill space is actually increasing, the EPA is in an
information gathering posture, and is looking at possible policy recommendations. EPA
representatives keep a close eye towards international initiatives, but does not appear to
be proceeding on any specific agenda presently.
The Agency is becoming more active in the area of Life Cycle Management (LCM), which
examines the environmental impact of products through the full life cycle of products.
The Automotive Sector of EPA's Common Sense Initiative believes that LCM:

Leads to a decrease in the use of environmentally damaging materials;

Leads to process designs that encourage recycling; and\

Minimizes environmental burdens across the life cycle of parts.
Furthermore, the sector offered the following recommendations:

Industry, states and the EPA should develop methods of assessing life cycle
requirements;

States and industry should consolidate and simplify environmental reporting
requirements to provide more useful data for LCM initiatives;

Manufacturers should collect data related to life cycle impacts;

Manufacturers and their suppliers should develop common methods of data
collection to support LCM; and

Recycled content and recyclability definitions should be harmonized across
industry, state and federal arenas and, where possible, across the international
community.
In the area of procurement, a 1993 Clinton Administration Executive Order requires the
EPA to "issue guidance that recommends principles that executive agencies should use in
making determinations for the preference and purchase of environmentally preferable
products." Development of these guidelines, which suggest the use of "life cycle
considerations" to determine environmental preferability, is still underway.
Many U.S. states followed suit by establishing procurement guidelines with requirements
that "life cycle analysis" be considered in purchasing decisions. Some states have made
recycled content a guideline for automotive fleet purchases and other products.
In a broader context, the President's Council on Sustainable Development has been
investigating the concept of "extended product responsibility." Under this concept, all
participants up and down a product's life cycle chain have a proper role to play in
addressing the product's environmental impacts. The American Plastics Council's staff
has been working with the U.S. EPA and is examining case studies of products and
services where the concept has been employed. EPA is looking at potential public-private
actions that could be taken to foster expanded application of the concept, although the
ultimate outcome and timing of the staff's activity is not clear.
The situation in the U.S. is a microcosm of the world scene. Each state has a different
economic situation, and environmental issues vary just as they vary regionally or
nationally. While international bodies basically agree on Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
methodology, they do not agree on how to assess the impacts of the data from those
inventories. Indeed, LCA results cannot and should not be reduced to a single score that
applies to a variety of regions across the board. Therefore, it should be used cautiously in
making public policy decisions and as a tool to improve environmental performance of
various materials.
In addition, public policy discussions in the automotive arena have been too focused on
the back end of the automobile's life cycle. We all know that up to 90 percent of the
energy used, therefore the environmental impact, in the car's life cycle occurs during the
use of the automobile. More attention should focus on that area, instead of only the EOL
aspects of a car's life cycle. At a 75 percent recycling rate, the car is one of the most
recycled products in the world today. With respect to the 25 percent that is currently not
being recovered, great strides have been made in developing new recovery technologies.
For example, the plastics and automotive industries are investing in new ways to design
plastics for greater recyclability, to improve plastics identification technology to expedite
recovery, and to develop new applications for recycled plastics. APC recently unveiled a
50,000 square-foot facility in Richmond, California, used to conduct research on
automotive recycling. It also holds a plastics identification laboratory that tests new
technologies from around the world.
Several initiatives in the United States are right on target. One program in particular
addresses the entire life cycle of an automobile. The United States Consortium on
Automotive Recycling (USCAR) has been collecting Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data on a
generic 3,200 pound vehicle in order to generate a suitable set of metrics to benchmark
its environmental performance. This benchmark will serve as a basis of comparison for
the environmental performance estimates of new and future vehicles.
Additionally, the U.S. government's Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV)
program is working to develop a light weight vehicle that will achieve 80 miles per gallon
while maintaining the performance and comfort of a mid-size sedan. These efforts will
help to address the higher environmental impact "use" phase of an automobile's life
cycle.
Let's place the development of LCA as a useful tool in perspective. Today, the three
major components of LCA, inventory, impact and improvement, are in very different
stages of development and understanding. Inventory is the most developed of the three
defined stages. Though a lot of time and effort have gone into moving into the next
stages of "impact" and "improvement," both of these LCA components are far behind
"inventory" in terms of standardization and understanding, and importantly, in the
practice of the science and art of LCA.
The conclusion we reach is that LCA is not advanced enough to be used for making public
policy decisions.
Finally, we need to keep in perspective what it really takes to bring about real change--it
requires time, pain and insight. To my knowledge, anyone involved in LCA has
experienced all three. The question is, has enough of each of these occurred to assure
that we are indeed ready for sound fundamental change based on LCA? From what we
have heard at this conference this week, I believe that all of us agree that much more
needs to be done before enough insight has been gained.
The final quote, I believe, is very appropriate for any LCA and public policy discussion.
From a lesser known Greek king, Agesilaus, "It is circumstances and proper timing that
give an action its character and make it either good or bad."
We in the plastics industry are proud of the contributions plastics have made to reducing
the car's mass, thereby using less of the earth's resources. APC believes public policy
must be based on the continuing improvement in overall quality and environmental
performance of products and services that has occurred and continues. LCA is only one
tool to help us achieve that goal.
Thank you.