What are the advantages of using plastic as automotive material?
1. Plastic molding is easy, making it very convenient to process complex shaped components. For example, when processing steel plates for instrument panels, it is often necessary to first shape each part, and then assemble or weld them separately with connectors, which involves multiple processes. Plastic can be molded in one go, with short processing time and guaranteed accuracy.
2. The advantage of using plastic in automotive materials is to reduce the weight of the vehicle body. Lightweight is the goal pursued by the automotive industry, and plastics can greatly demonstrate their power in this regard. The specific gravity of general plastics is 0.9~1.5, and the specific gravity of fiber-reinforced composite materials does not exceed 2. However, in metal materials, the specific gravity of A3 steel is 7.6, brass is 8.4, and aluminum is 2.7. This makes plastic the preferred material for automotive lightweighting.
3. The elastic deformation characteristics of plastic products can absorb a large amount of collision energy, have a significant buffering effect on strong impacts, and provide protection for vehicles and passengers. Therefore, modern cars use plasticized instrument panels and steering wheels to enhance cushioning. The front and rear bumpers, as well as the body decorative strips, are made of plastic materials to reduce the impact of external objects on the sound of the car. In addition, plastic also has the function of absorbing and attenuating vibration and noise, which can improve the comfort of passengers.
4. Plastic can be made with the required properties by adding different fillers, plasticizers, and hardeners according to its organizational composition, and changing the mechanical strength and processing performance of the material to meet the requirements of different parts on the vehicle. For example, the bumper should have considerable mechanical strength, while the cushion and backrest should use soft polyurethane foam
5. Plastic has strong corrosion resistance and will not corrode if locally damaged. Once the paint surface of steel production is damaged or the anti-corrosion treatment is not done well in advance, it is easy to rust and corrode. Plastic has greater corrosion resistance to acids, alkalis, salts, and other substances than steel plates. If plastic is used for car body coverings, it is very suitable for use in areas with high pollution.
Overall, automotive plastics have evolved from ordinary decorative parts to structural and functional components; The development of automotive plastic materials is moving towards composite materials and plastic alloys with higher strength, better impact resistance, and ultra-high flow. However, there is still a long way to go for the promotion of all plastic cars in the future, not only in terms of safety issues, but also in terms of aging, recycling, and other issues, which require further improvement in technology.