Plastics In Automotive Engineering

Today's automotive industry is challenged by ever more stringent demands to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Lightweight design and increased use of advanced plastic components will be crucial for the next generation of cars complying with legislation. Engineers and manufacturers who develop and produce polymer-based components for automotives are under pressure to reduce developing times and to optimize production processes for quality and economic viability. Tools of choice are computer-aided selection of polymers in combination with mathematical simulation for both, material properties and production processes. They provide crucial help in finding innovative and economical solutions when designing polymer applications for modern cars. This unique and timely book provides theoretical as well as practical reviews of novel polymer applications for automotive engineering, covering material selection, simulation, prototyping and manufacturing. Nineteen industrial case studies illustrate current polymer applications for the exterior of passenger cars and commercial vehicles ""made in Europe"". These studies describe component-specific and vehicle-specific solutions, providing expert insights into current developments in the polymer industry as well as novel component production and, most importantly, their innovative implementation into industrial practice.

Todays automotive industry is challenged by ever more stringent demands to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Lightweight design and increased use of advanced plastic components will be crucial for the next generation of cars complying with legislation.

A survey of the role of plastics materials in the motor industry. It discusses progress in the different sectors of automotive engineering, and the possible effect of economic and environmental pressures on the growth of the plastics contribution. Emphasis is given to materials selection and the author explains how a material can be 'right' or 'wrong' for a particular job – and what extraneous factors could change things.

Before the 1970s, plastics were considered primarily as non-engineering materials and were used in applications such as belts, hoses, gaskets, carpet backing, sealing, adhesives, tires, and so forth as a part of an engineering solution. More recently, plastics have replaced traditional materials and emerged as a significant "engineering application" within the automotive industry. Plastics have proven to be cost effective while providing automakers with the design freedom to accommodate safety, styling, and comfort. Engineering Plastics and Plastic Composites In Automotive Applications focuses on some of the various types of plastics and plastic composites and their applications and advantages within passenger vehicles.