AD&P; > May 2015 > NOTABLE
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charged for fuel efciency, which means they are
running hotter.
One consequence of this is that the environment under
the hood is getting elevated, which can cause problems
for some polymers, as in as the packaging of engines
under the hood are all the tighter in the available space,
temperatures are rising, which presents challenges for
some plastics as regards their thermal stability and
oxidation.
So as indicated by those fgures for the intake manifold/
charged air cooler, the polyamide 46 in question can
handle the heat.
Also, there has to be chemical resistance for the charged
air cooler portion of the system. While most intake
manifolds have made a transition from metals over the
past several years, they're dealing with intake air while
the charged air cooler is working with the gases from
the turbo system, which is not only hot, but can contain
corrosive materials, which makes chemical stability all
the more important.
However, there is another related concern for automakers,
which is reducing the mass of their vehicles. Obviously,
a plastic replacement for a metal component wouldn't
necessarily be a good move if that meant a weight
increase.
In the case of the intake manifold/charged air cooler, it
weighs 40% less than a comparable aluminum part.
According to Satish Kantebet, sales segment manager,
Automotive, DSM Engineering Plastics Americas, the
company is working on developing replacements for
many under-the-hood parts that have historically been
die castings or stampings.
For example, the oil pan on the current Mercedes S
Class is made with a polyamide 6, Akulon Ultrafow;
this component is 50% lighter than a comparable
metal part.
Another fuel-savings beneft that can be achieved
by using plastics under the hood is realized through
decreased friction. By using Stanyl polyamide 46
(a non-Diablo version) to produce a timing chain
guide, the reduced friction can, says Akins, result in a
reduction of fuel consumption by as much as 1%.—GSV