奇瑞、路虎、揽胜极光，是SUV轻量化设计较好的车型，它在同级别SUV中算轻的，其很多部件都采用了工程塑料。”3月3日，中国工程塑料工业协会秘书长郑恺接受《中国汽车报》采访时表示，路虎揽胜极光在制造中采用了一系列高级轻质材料，比如像PA/PPO合金应用于前翼子板，PC/PBT合金应用于行人保护吸能块，并将长玻纤增强聚丙烯应用于仪表板及内门模块，使其自重小于1.6吨，比揽胜运动版轻了35%，二氧化碳排放量低于130克/千米。
Automotive engineering plastics will replace more metal parts
Developed countries regard the amount of plastic used in automobiles as an important indicator of the level of automobile design and manufacturing. Currently, German automobiles use the largest amount of plastic, accounting for more than 15% of the total vehicle materials. In addition to British Land Rover, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz SLR, BMW i Series and many other models use more advanced automotive engineering plastics on a large scale. Some experts even predict that innovative applications of new materials may subvert traditional cars in the future.
Due to smog, energy conservation and emission reduction, and more stringent fuel consumption regulations, domestic car companies are sparing no effort to develop lightweight vehicle technologies. As we all know, automobile lightweighting is mainly reflected in the optimized design of automobiles and the application of alloy materials and non-metallic materials, which in turn are 10% to 15%, 30% to 40%, and 45% to 55%. Zheng Kai told reporters that non-metallic materials such as engineering plastics have obvious "weight reduction" effects, and their main function when used in cars is to make cars lightweight. At present, more and more automobile parts are beginning to use engineering plastics to replace metal parts.
The application of automotive engineering plastics is increasing year by year
"Generally, the proportion of plastics is 0.9 to 1.6, and the proportion of glass fiber reinforced composite materials will not exceed 2.0, while A3 steel is 7.6, brass is 8.4, and aluminum is 2.7. This makes plastic the first choice material for lightweight automobiles. Using plastic can reduce the weight of parts by about 40%, and at the same time, its cost can also be greatly reduced." On March 4, Gao Song, an engineer at the Materials Engineering Institute of Beiqi Foton Engineering Research Institute, said in an interview.
Qian Zhiguo, chief engineer of the R&D Center of the Beijing Institute of Chemical Industry, said that replacing metal parts with plastic parts can not only reduce vehicle weight, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, but also improve the power, comfort and safety of the vehicle, so it is widely used in vehicle power and chassis systems, interior and exterior decorative parts, automotive electronics and other components.
Gao Song introduced that polyamide (PA) materials are mainly used in power, chassis parts and structural parts, accounting for about 20% of the plastics in the entire vehicle; materials such as polycarbonate, polyformaldehyde, modified polyphenylene ether and thermoplastic polyester are mainly used in electronic and electrical components and structural parts, accounting for about 15% of the plastics in the entire vehicle. Modified polyphenylene ether (PP) and ABS engineering plastics and their alloy materials are mainly used in interior and exterior parts. As vehicle grades improve, the application of engineering plastics increases, and the application proportion of ABS and its alloys increases. She also introduced some advantages of the application of engineering plastics in automobiles, such as the use of long glass fiber reinforced composite materials instead of metal exterior decorative parts, which can reduce the impact of external objects (including pedestrians) on the car body; plastic products also have the ability to absorb and attenuate vibration and noise, which can improve ride comfort; using plastic as body covering parts is very suitable for use in heavily polluted areas; steel parts are prone to rust and corrode metal if the paint surface is damaged or if the early anti-corrosion is not done well, but automotive plastics are highly corrosion-resistant. The corrosion resistance of plastics to acids, alkalis, salts, etc. is greater than that of steel plates. In addition, replacing metal parts with plastic parts can reduce the cost by 30% to 40%.
Domestic research on automotive engineering plastics should be accelerated
Engineering plastics have many advantages, are highly valued by European and American automobile companies, and are widely used. It is reported that in developed countries, the amount of plastic used in each car increased from 100 to 130kg in the 1990s to 152kg in 2004 and 174kg in 2006. The current amount is 230kg. Gao Song introduced that foreign automobile brands have now used plastic composite materials (mainly glass fiber reinforced composite materials such as long fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials (LFT), etc.) and high-performance engineering plastics on a large scale. However, the application (weight ratio) of domestic independent brand automobiles in plastic composite materials is relatively small. This also reflects the gap in our vehicle lightweight technology.
Zheng Kai believes that engineering plastics should have wider applications in automobiles, but currently China does not pay enough attention to research on the application of automotive engineering plastics.
Gao Song introduced that every application of plastics in automobiles involves solving problems in structural design, manufacturing technology and equipment, material selection and modification, etc. In addition, issues such as surface or coating, connection, and test evaluation of products must also be solved. She believes that vehicle companies should, based on the needs of independent development, require plastic parts manufacturers, material suppliers and vehicle companies to join forces to carry out research on parts application technology based on the needs of future new model development. Relevant BASF personnel said in an interview with reporters: "To make cars lighter and more energy-saving, BASF automotive plastics are widely used in automotive interior and exterior trim parts, power transmission and chassis, plastic wheels and other components. Some parts can replace aluminum alloy materials, and their weight reduction and cost reduction effects are obvious."
Engineering plastics begin to replace some aluminum alloy parts
By 2020, the average plastic usage in cars will likely reach more than 500kg/vehicle, accounting for more than 1/3 of the materials used in the entire vehicle. With the widespread use of new energy vehicles, the cost of aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys is too high, and they are mainly imported. In the future, engineering plastics may be used for roofs, doors, seat components, wheels, peripheral structural parts of the car, and even the body. In fact, some parts such as the doors of some high-end foreign models have begun to use engineering plastics.
The smartforvision concept car uses BASF's all-plastic wheels, which can reduce weight by more than 30% compared with ordinary wheels (12 to 20kg per vehicle), which not only improves fuel economy but also enhances aerodynamics and collision safety performance. All-plastic wheels use LFT, which has excellent overall performance compared with those made of metal. Not only does each wheel save 3kg, it also plays an important role in improving ride comfort and fuel economy. The outstanding advantages of LFT are: high stiffness and strength, good vibration damping and resilience, heat resistance, creep resistance, dimensional stability, and long service life.
Volkswagen has also selected Dow's glass fiber reinforced PC/ABS alloy to produce the American version of the Phaeton dashboard bracket. This is because in simulated impact tests, the energy absorption of this material is 50% higher than that of traditional materials, so that passengers sitting in front who are not wearing seat belts are protected from impact injuries. It is reported that the front-end bracket of Volkswagen’s seventh-generation golf uses BASF’s automotive engineering plastics. Part weight, assembly time and cost are significantly reduced because no metal supports are required.
Currently, internationally, bodies made of plastic have been widely used in small-volume production of cars or some high-end models, such as the BMW i series. Compared with the steel body, the body made of fiber-reinforced composite plastic materials can achieve a weight reduction of 35%; if carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials are used, the weight reduction can be achieved by more than 60%. At present, because the cost of carbon fiber plastic is too high, it is only used in high-end models such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Automotive engineering plastics will replace more metal parts
Developed countries regard the amount of plastic used in automobiles as an important indicator of the level of automobile design and manufacturing. Currently, German automobiles use the largest amount of plastic, accounting for more than 15% of the total vehicle materials. In addition to British Land Rover, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz SLR, BMW i Series and many other models use more advanced automotive engineering plastics on a large scale. Some experts even predict that innovative applications of new materials may subvert traditional cars in the future.
Due to smog, energy conservation and emission reduction, and more stringent fuel consumption regulations, domestic car companies are sparing no effort to develop lightweight vehicle technologies. As we all know, automobile lightweighting is mainly reflected in the optimized design of automobiles and the application of alloy materials and non-metallic materials, which in turn are 10% to 15%, 30% to 40%, and 45% to 55%. Zheng Kai told reporters that non-metallic materials such as engineering plastics have obvious "weight reduction" effects, and their main function when used in cars is to make cars lightweight. At present, more and more automobile parts are beginning to use engineering plastics to replace metal parts.
The application of automotive engineering plastics is increasing year by year
"Generally, the proportion of plastics is 0.9 to 1.6, and the proportion of glass fiber reinforced composite materials will not exceed 2.0, while A3 steel is 7.6, brass is 8.4, and aluminum is 2.7. This makes plastic the first choice material for lightweight automobiles. Using plastic can reduce the weight of parts by about 40%, and at the same time, its cost can also be greatly reduced." On March 4, Gao Song, an engineer at the Materials Engineering Institute of Beiqi Foton Engineering Research Institute, said in an interview.
Qian Zhiguo, chief engineer of the R&D Center of the Beijing Institute of Chemical Industry, said that replacing metal parts with plastic parts can not only reduce vehicle weight, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, but also improve the power, comfort and safety of the vehicle, so it is widely used in vehicle power and chassis systems, interior and exterior decorative parts, automotive electronics and other components.
Gao Song introduced that polyamide (PA) materials are mainly used in power, chassis parts and structural parts, accounting for about 20% of the plastics in the entire vehicle; materials such as polycarbonate, polyformaldehyde, modified polyphenylene ether and thermoplastic polyester are mainly used in electronic and electrical components and structural parts, accounting for about 15% of the plastics in the entire vehicle. Modified polyphenylene ether (PP) and ABS engineering plastics and their alloy materials are mainly used in interior and exterior parts. As vehicle grades improve, the application of engineering plastics increases, and the application proportion of ABS and its alloys increases. She also introduced some advantages of the application of engineering plastics in automobiles, such as the use of long glass fiber reinforced composite materials instead of metal exterior decorative parts, which can reduce the impact of external objects (including pedestrians) on the car body; plastic products also have the ability to absorb and attenuate vibration and noise, which can improve ride comfort; using plastic as body covering parts is very suitable for use in heavily polluted areas; steel parts are prone to rust and corrode metal if the paint surface is damaged or if the early anti-corrosion is not done well, but automotive plastics are highly corrosion-resistant. The corrosion resistance of plastics to acids, alkalis, salts, etc. is greater than that of steel plates. In addition, replacing metal parts with plastic parts can reduce the cost by 30% to 40%.
Domestic research on automotive engineering plastics should be accelerated
Engineering plastics have many advantages, are highly valued by European and American automobile companies, and are widely used. It is reported that in developed countries, the amount of plastic used in each car increased from 100 to 130kg in the 1990s to 152kg in 2004 and 174kg in 2006. The current amount is 230kg. Gao Song introduced that foreign automobile brands have now used plastic composite materials (mainly glass fiber reinforced composite materials such as long fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials (LFT), etc.) and high-performance engineering plastics on a large scale. However, the application (weight ratio) of domestic independent brand automobiles in plastic composite materials is relatively small. This also reflects the gap in our vehicle lightweight technology.
Zheng Kai believes that engineering plastics should have wider applications in automobiles, but currently China does not pay enough attention to research on the application of automotive engineering plastics.
Gao Song introduced that every application of plastics in automobiles involves solving problems in structural design, manufacturing technology and equipment, material selection and modification, etc. In addition, issues such as surface or coating, connection, and test evaluation of products must also be solved. She believes that vehicle companies should, based on the needs of independent development, require plastic parts manufacturers, material suppliers and vehicle companies to join forces to carry out research on parts application technology based on the needs of future new model development. Relevant BASF personnel said in an interview with reporters: "To make cars lighter and more energy-saving, BASF automotive plastics are widely used in automotive interior and exterior trim parts, power transmission and chassis, plastic wheels and other components. Some parts can replace aluminum alloy materials, and their weight reduction and cost reduction effects are obvious."
Engineering plastics begin to replace some aluminum alloy parts
By 2020, the average plastic usage in cars will likely reach more than 500kg/vehicle, accounting for more than 1/3 of the materials used in the entire vehicle. With the widespread use of new energy vehicles, the cost of aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys is too high, and they are mainly imported. In the future, engineering plastics may be used for roofs, doors, seat components, wheels, peripheral structural parts of the car, and even the body. In fact, some parts such as the doors of some high-end foreign models have begun to use engineering plastics.
The smartforvision concept car uses BASF's all-plastic wheels, which can reduce weight by more than 30% compared with ordinary wheels (12 to 20kg per vehicle), which not only improves fuel economy but also enhances aerodynamics and collision safety performance. All-plastic wheels use LFT, which has excellent overall performance compared with those made of metal. Not only does each wheel save 3kg, it also plays an important role in improving ride comfort and fuel economy. The outstanding advantages of LFT are: high stiffness and strength, good vibration damping and resilience, heat resistance, creep resistance, dimensional stability, and long service life.
Volkswagen has also selected Dow's glass fiber reinforced PC/ABS alloy to produce the American version of the Phaeton dashboard bracket. This is because in simulated impact tests, the energy absorption of this material is 50% higher than that of traditional materials, so that passengers sitting in front who are not wearing seat belts are protected from impact injuries. It is reported that the front-end bracket of Volkswagen’s seventh-generation golf uses BASF’s automotive engineering plastics. Part weight, assembly time and cost are significantly reduced because no metal supports are required.
Currently, internationally, bodies made of plastic have been widely used in small-volume production of cars or some high-end models, such as the BMW i series. Compared with the steel body, the body made of fiber-reinforced composite plastic materials can achieve a weight reduction of 35%; if carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials are used, the weight reduction can be achieved by more than 60%. At present, because the cost of carbon fiber plastic is too high, it is only used in high-end models such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
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