CONSIDERATIONS IN THE APPLICATION OF AUTOMOTIVE PLASTIC COMPOSITES

Plastic composites are drawing attention as automotive lightweight materials for the future. The characteristics of composites depend upon combinations of matrices, ie, thermosetting or thermoplastic materials, and various kinds of reinforcing materials. Composites of thermosetting plastics and fibrous materials generally have great tensile and flexural strength as well as rigidity because of the long fibres, but care must be taken over the orientation of fibrous materials, uneveness of strength, and impact strength, and attention paid to wall thickness, holes, ribs, and round corners. Further improvements to paintability and storage stability before moulding are also required. If the matrix is a thermoplastic (injection moulded) its reinforcing materials have shorter fibres, which is some advantage against orientations. However, weld lines will have less strength due to orientation. Composites consisting of thermoplastic materials and granular or powder reinforcing materials have less directional characteristic than fibrous materials, and offer good surface appearance, impact strength and warping resistance, but can hardly be expected to have an improved flexural modulus, though these properties vary with the kind of matrix. An increased flexural modulus decreases impact strength, and tends to make fractures sharp. Therefore, it is necessary to properly combine filler characteristics with base polymer modification, to make a suitable composite material design for parts. See also TRIS 368718. (Author/TRRL)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented during the Seminar Advances in Automotive Plastics, Melbourne, Australia, March 1984.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers

  191 Royal Parade
  Parkville, Victoria 3052,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Goto, F
  • Ikeda, T
• Publication Date: 1984-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile industry; Composite materials; Conferences; Fibers; Fillers (Materials); Flexural strength; Forming; Lightweight materials; Material reinforcement; Matrices (Mathematics); Plastics; Reinforcing materials; Stiffness; Strength of materials; Tensile strength; Thermoplastic materials; Thermosetting materials; Vehicle components; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Molds (Forms)
• ITRD Terms: 1354: Components of the vehicle; 9005: Composite; 8525: Conference; 4557: Fibre; 4599: Filler; 9038: Lightweight; 6494: Matrix; 6212: Mould; 7454: Plastic material; 3471: Reinforcement (in mater); 5544: Strength (mater); 7434: Thermoplastic; 7456: Thermosetting; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389000
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM