Non-metallic materials used in automobiles include plastic, rubber, adhesive sealants, friction materials, fabrics, glass, and other materials, including the petrochemical industry, light industry, textiles, building materials, and other related industrial sectors, so the application of non-metallic materials in automobiles is an economic and It reflects the comprehensive power of technology and also includes the technological development and application capabilities of many related industries.
Glass fiber-reinforced composite materials currently used in automobiles include: glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (QFRTP), glass fiber mesh reinforced thermoplastics (GMT), sheet molding compounds (SMC), resin transfer molding (RTM), and hand-laid FRP products.
At present, glass fiber-reinforced plastics used in automobiles mainly include glass fiber-reinforced PP, glass fiber-reinforced PA66 or PA6, and a small amount of PBT and PPO materials.
Reinforced PP products have high rigidity and toughness, and the mechanical properties can be doubled and even improved several times. Improved PP is used in office furniture and other areas: for example, child back seats, office chairs, etc.; It can also be used in axial fans and cross-flow fans in refrigeration machines such as refrigerators, and air conditioners. Improved PA materials have been used in passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Generally, it is used to make some small functional parts, such as a lock body guard, safety wedge, embedded nut, accelerator pedal, shift upper and lower guard frame-guard, open handle, etc. If the quality of the material selected by the part manufacturer is unstable, the production process is improperly used, or the material is not dried well, the weak part of the product will break.
With the environmental protection and lightweight requirements of automobiles, automobile industries are increasingly inclined to use GMT materials to meet the needs of structural components, because GMT materials have good toughness, short molding cycle, high production efficiency, and low processing costs. . It is considered one of the materials of the 21st century and is mainly used for passenger cars, multifunctional supports, instrument panel supports, seat frames, engine guards, battery supports, etc. It is used in production. FAW-Volkswagen is currently the Audi A6 and A4. Manufactured cars adopted GMT materials, but none reached local production.
To bring the quality of automobiles to the international advanced level and achieve the purpose of weight reduction, shock absorption, and noise reduction, relevant national units have conducted research on the production and processes of GMT materials. molding products and have the ability to mass-produce GMT materials with an annual production line of 3000 GMT per tonne material in Jiangyin, Jiangsu. Domestic automobile manufacturers also use GMT materials in the design of some models and have started trial batch production.
Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) is an important glass fiber-reinforced thermoset plastic widely used in automobiles due to its excellent properties, large-scale production, and A-level surface. At present, SMC materials have made new breakthroughs in the application of automobiles. Currently, the most widely used SMC in automobiles are body panels, which account for 70% of SMC consumption. The fastest growings are structural parts and transmission parts. While the amount of SMC used in automobiles continues to increase by 22-71% in the next 5 years, the growth rate in other sectors is 13-35%.
Why use fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP)
From the perspective of automobile manufacturers, FRP is a very attractive replacement material over other materials, taking SMC/BMC as an example:
- Weight saving
- Component Integration
- Freedom of design
- Much less investment
- Making all-in-one antenna systems a reality
- Dimensionally stable (low coefficient of linear thermal expansion, comparable to steel)
- Retains high mechanical properties under high temperature conditions
- Compatible with E-coat (electronic paint)
If you are looking for relevant glass fiber or composite materials to be used in automobiles, please contact us. NewVietHan will provide you with high-quality materials and professional services.
