Megatrends! The application of polyurethane in automobiles

Lightweight as the main trend of the future development of the automotive field, it is necessary to make effective use of polymer materials, so that the lightweight of the car can be achieved, but also a certain role of energy saving and environmental protection, but also to make the manufacturing comprehension of the car more perfect, so that the comprehensive performance of the car can be improved, can be in the car manufacturing structure and decoration of the reasonable use of polyurethane materials.

1 Polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam is mainly made of isocyanate and hydroxyl compounds foamed in polymerisation, polyurethane foam can be divided into flexible and semi-rigid and rigid materials, flexible foam is mainly used in car manufacturing for car headrests and car roofs and other materials that people can directly contact, because its characteristics can be rebound, can effectively protect human safety, can improve the car’s safety factor. Semi-rigid materials are mainly used for structures such as dashboards, which can save time in manufacturing and are more stable. Rigid materials are mainly used in car cabin insulation. Polyurethane foam is usually improved by adding flame retardants to delay combustion, stop smoke or even extinguish ignition components to increase the flame retardancy of the foam, thus improving the safety of the car. It has a good filling effect, prevents corrosion and reduces noise in the car.

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2 Reaction injection moulded polyurethane products

This polyurethane product is manufactured in a mould from liquid raw materials and is almost indistinguishable from steel in terms of rigidity and strength, but is 50% lighter than steel and can contribute to the lightweighting of cars, mainly for bodywork and steering wheels. The steering wheel, as the main structure of the car, can effectively ensure the safety of the family eater lunchtime, in case of an accident can reduce the injury to the driver, but also to ensure the stability of the structure. The bumper of many cars is also made of such products, and the internal reinforcement can also be embedded to better ensure that the driver is under minimal threat. The main reason for the use of polyurethane in body panels is that it has a good impact force and ensures that the overall performance of the body is not affected by deformation in various environments.

3 Polyurethane elastomers

Polyurethane elastomers are used in automotive manufacturing as key structures such as shock absorbing cushioning blocks, as the elastic polyurethane material has good cushioning properties and is used in combination with high-strength spring devices at the chassis to improve the effectiveness of the shock absorbing cushioning blocks and to enhance the comfort of the car, as is the case in most cars. The airbags are also made of highly elastic polyurethane, as this structure is the last barrier to protect the driver and has an important role to play, requiring the strength and elasticity of the airbag to meet the relevant requirements, and elastic polyurethane is the most suitable choice, and the polyurethane material is relatively light, most airbags are only about 200g.
Tyres are an indispensable part of car driving, ordinary rubber products tyres have a relatively short service life and cannot be used under strong conditions, and they also have a negative impact on human health, so better materials need to be chosen, and polyurethane materials can meet these requirements, and there is also less investment and simpler process characteristics, the heat resistance of polyurethane tyres during emergency braking General, this is also in the specific use of more limited reason, general polyurethane tyres are poured process, can make the tyre to adapt to different requirements, so that the tyre will not produce pollution, very green, hope that the future can solve the problem of polyurethane tyres are not resistant to high temperature, better to achieve widespread use.

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4 Polyurethane adhesives

The hydrogen bond between the polyurethane and the material to be bonded will enhance the molecular cohesion and further make the bonding more solid, the polyurethane adhesive also has good toughness and adjustability, the polyurethane adhesive has excellent shear strength and impact resistance, suitable for a variety of structural adhesives field, has excellent flexibility, the polyurethane adhesive has excellent performance, can adapt to different thermal expansion coefficient of the bonding, has The polyurethane material can be used as a windscreen adhesive for cars to achieve a good sealing effect, to make the car glass and body more stable, to increase the overall rigidity and strength of the car, and to reduce the weight of the car to facilitate the car’s driving. The interior of many cars is also made of polyurethane, as it is particularly resistant to water and can prevent water deformation of the decorations, making the interior of the car more beautiful and comfortable.

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5 Conclusion

Lightweight automobile manufacturing has become a major trend in automobile manufacturing, and is also a means to measure the level of automobile manufacturing and a key mark of relevant technical process capability. Only better application of polyurethane materials in China’s automobile manufacturing and research on polyurethane materials will enable relevant bottlenecks to be solved, such as the problem of heat resistance of tyres, which also requires joint research and support of relevant policies by corresponding experts in the automobile manufacturing industry, in the hope that the domestic automobile manufacturing level will be continuously improved.


Post time: Feb-08-2023