Most of the energy in a crash is absorbed by metal parts. A new additional polyamide (PA) crash absorber has for the first time been integrated into the front end of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The advantage is that an additional loadpath could be added without significantly increasing the mass of the car.  Close cooperation between the project partners and the use of suitable simulation tools were key to successful realization of this project.

As part of the safety concept in the front end of the latest S-Class, Mercedes-Benz uses a crash absorber made from polyamide.

16:9

Crash Absorbers made from PA for the Front End Carrier of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Kfz-Sicherheit, passiv

Elektronik

Kfz-Systeme

Kfz-Elektronik

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Technische Kunststoffe

Kraftfahrzeugtechnik

Accident Protection with Plastics

Electric-vehicle makers looking for fresh impetus are turning to thermoplastics, as these can be used to  improve the safety, performance and sustainability of the vehicles. Initial application areas for manufacturers can be found in a multitude of components ranging from battery cases to busbars, cooling lines and seals. Things become very interesting when material suppliers offer support in the form of CAE and injection molding analyses.

Thermoplastics play an important role in the batteries of electric vehicles. They help to keep battery temperatures in the optimal range for a long service life and high performance. 

Improving the Performance of Electric Vehicles with the Right Materials

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Electric, Environmentally Friendly, Thermoplastic

The conditions in electric vehicles place high demands on the materials used. Therefore, automakers and suppliers must resort to expensive, high-performance plastics. For many applications, cost-effective alternatives are plastics whose properties have been greatly improved by means of treatment with high-energy electron beams.

Fig. 1. Crosslinked engineering plastics can be used for many different applications in electric vehicles.

Irradiation Crosslinking Replaces High-Performance Plastics with Cheaper Polymers

Strahlenvernetzung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Electron Booster for Electric Vehicles

The transformation from the combustion to the electric engine entails several imponderabilities for the plastics industry. In part, electric drives have completely different material requirements which are becoming specifically evident with the increasing use of appropriate vehicles.

In electric vehicles, the change in engine technology also entails new requirements for the plastic materials used

Flame Retardancy, Heat and Tracking Resistance of Electric Vehicles

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Drivers of Electromobility

Replacing metal with polyamides (PA) in components can not only reduce weight and costs, but also offers developers greater design freedom. However, this requires materials with improved mechanical properties.

 A 3-point bending test showed that the maximum necessary  work of fracture for Ultramid XP grades which exceeds that of comparable PA6 and PA66 grades

Special Polyamides 6 Match the Properties of Polyamide 66

Automotive

Metal Substitution with Improved PA

Teknor Apex presents three halogen-free FR glass-reinforced polyamide compounds with UL94 ratings of V0.

Application example: engine cover in the automotive industry

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Glass-Reinforced and Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant

Electrical architecture in an E-car is significantly more challenging than for conventionally powered vehicles. Particularly for insulation of high-voltage (HV) components, the demands on the materials used are increasing. With specially-tailored materials for electric vehicles, challenges in automotive high-voltage technology can be overcome.

Insulation of high-voltage components in electric vehicles makes high demands on the materials used

Polyamide Specialties for Electromobility

High Voltage in Cars

Premium-quality automotive interior surfaces are becoming increasingly important from the customer’s point of view. This insight prompted Asahi Kasei to develop its Leona SG series of semi-aromatic polyamides (PA), which the Japanese group will be presenting at this year’s trade show Fakuma.

Automotive interiors require materials with good mechanical properties that will also produce premium-quality surfaces

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Superior Surface Quality in Automotive Interiors

PA66 and PBT considerably expand the field of applications for laser sintering by showing better properties than classic PA11 and PA12 materials in most cases.

As a temperature-resistant and flame-retardant material with high mechanical properties, PA66 opens up new application possibilities for laser sintering, such as its use as a sensor holder

PA66 and PBT for Laser Sintering

Polybutylenterephthalat

Selektives Lasersintern von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Verfahren für die additive Fertigung

Pulverbettverfahren

Additive Fertigung

From Injection Molding to  Additive Manufacturing

Until now, polyamide 66 was the main material used for coolant applications in automobiles. Due to increasing requirements, however, alternative materials such as PPS and PPA are becoming increasingly interesting for components. This is illustrated by the example of a coolant distribution pipe for Audi and VW vehicles.

Fig. 1. Since the two-piece coolant distribution pipe was to be joined by rotation welding, PPS was out of the question as a material.

Coolant Circuit in Vehicles

Alternatives to PA66

Vehicle weight reduction requirements today pose great challenges not only to automotive manufacturers and suppliers but also to material producers. The materials used must cut weight while at the same time withstanding the mechanical and chemical stresses encountered in service. This can be achieved, for example, with blends of polyamide and polypropylene. These blends also offer other useful advantages.

Fig. 4. Test bars after contact with a calcium chloride solution. The grey points indicate degradation. The bars made from the PA+PP blends show basically no degradation, unlike those made from PA.

Blends of PP and PA Reduce Weight and Improve Chemical Resistance

Blend

Polypropylen

Lighter Together

Alternative powertrains, autonomous driving and the urge for more sustainability impact the vehicle design and driving experience.

 The USB connector system enables space saving of up to 60 %. The used PBT allows tight tolerances regardless of the ambient conditions.

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Smaller, Faster, Lighter

Electromobility in particular, but also many other electrical applications, are asking for ever higher demands regarding the electrical properties of thermoplastics. This raises the question of whether the polymers commonly used in this area can still meet these demands. The plastics manufacturer, Lanxess, has now investigated how suitable, for example, polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate are for use at higher voltages and temperatures.

How Suitable Are PA and PBT for High-Voltage Applications?

Against the Current

BASF is expanding its portfolio of flame-retardant engineering plastics for electric vehicles. The new PA66 type Ultramid A3U44G6 DC OR is reinforced with 30 % glass fibers.

The new PA66 type is flame-retardant and meets all the criteria of color stability and heat aging resistance. This enables long-lasting color coding, which is safety-relevant in the sensitive area of high voltages in electric cars.

Farbstoffe

Additive

Flame-Retardant and Color-Stable

DSM sells its Engineering Polymers business to Lanxess and the financial investor Advent. In return, the two companies are setting up a joint venture to which Lanxess is also contributing its PA and PBT business.

Lanxess is outsourcing its engineering plastics business to the joint venture.

Streifinger, Florian

Wirtschaft

Lanxess and Advent to Buy DSM‘s Engineering Plastics Business

Easy-Flow and Heat Stabilized Polyamide 6

The Chinese automotive manufacturer Geely will in the future use a polyamide 6 (PA6) from Lanxess for front-end (FE) carriers in its vehicles.

The component’s design concept is a hybrid design solution going beyond the traditional square/rectangular form FE structure. While the lower cooler mounting is in sheet metal, the complex upper member was developed using the highly filled and heat stabilized Durethan BKV50H2.0 EF, a material well suited for structural components that require high stiffness and strength. The full plastic design for the upper section caters to a wide range of requirements of this multi component assembly. As stated in a press release, using high modulus thermoplastic material also provides a cost effective solution.

Lanxess engineering plastics are designed to support customers in achieving maximum component performance and efficient processing. To meet these objectives, the company established the Pocan and Durethan EF and XF product lines, a broad range of easy-flow polybutylene terephthalates (PBT) and polyamide 6 and 66 grades. “EF” stands for “EasyFlow,” “XF” for “XtremeFlow.”

Apart from thermoplastics, Lanxess offers experience concerning design and simulation methods, part evaluation and testing. According to the company, its experts actively contribute their engineering know-how to customer projects. HiAnt, the integrated service package for lightweight solutions, aims to help the customers achieve maximum performance while minimizing weight. To pursue optimized design, mathematical simulation methods are outstanding instruments for the design and optimization of parts and they deliver fairly accurate statements on part behavior. When it comes to making a definitive statement on the functional capability of parts, however, it is generally still necessary to conduct practice-oriented tests on prototypes. For this reason, most OEMs prescribe stringent corresponding acceptance tests and specifications. Lanxess has a test laboratory and can offer an extensive range of testing facilities.

Geely Holding Group is a global technology group engaged in the design, R&D, production, sales, and service of vehicles, powertrains, and key components, as well as mobility services and digital technologies. The technologies comprise new energy, shared mobility, vehicle networks, autonomous driving, vehicle microchips, low orbit satellites, and laser communication.

<a href="http://www.lanxess.com" target="_blank">www.lanxess.com</a>

LANXESS Deutschland GmbH  

https://www.lanxess.com

The front-end carrier for vehicles by the Chinese manufacturer Geely will be made of a PA6 from Lanxess in the future. © Lanxess

2022-03-22 Produkt_Lanxess

issue 07/2022

issue 06/2022

issue 05/2022

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