For nearly 10 years, foam-filled metal corrugated tubular energy absorbers have been utilized inside vehicles for occupant safety in such applications as head liners, side doors and knee bolsters. The next logical extension of the foam-filled metal corrugated tubular energy absorber is a corrugated polymer tubular energy absorber filled with “tunable” polyurethane energy absorbing foam that has been optimized to meet the European Union’s pedestrian lower leg and 5 or 6 mph vehicle impact test series.

“These test results indicate that the use of these foam-filled energy absorbing tubes is a viable approach to developing functional pedestrian protection systems into the bumpers of automobiles,” explained Jack Jenny, senior scientist, Bayer MaterialScience.

Jenny, along with Paul Glance, Ph.D., ME, from O-Flex Automotive, Inc., presented the findings at the American Chemistry Council’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) Conference, which took place Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2008, in San Antonio. An Evaluation of New Tubular Energy Absorber/Polyurethane Foam Composite for Meeting Bumper System Pedestrian Lower Leg Impact Requirements was presented during a CPI technical session on Automotive IPs & Processing. For more information about next year’s conference, click here.

There was a time in the auto industry when a mobile diagnostic cart had side rails typically made from extruded steel tubing and sheet metal. When this type of cart was accidentally bumped into vehicles on assembly lines or in service departments, it would often cause scratches or dents that would require repair. Answering the call to action, cart manufacturer Spectrum Composites of Auburn Hills, Mich., realized something needed to be done and developed a diagnostic cart that eliminates this problem.

The RIM system proved to be extremely cost effective for Spectrum. “There was a great reduction in assembly time, since the rails are molded as one unit,” said Heim. “The two end caps, which encapsulated the three metal tubes required with the old design, actually cost more than one Bayflex® RIM molded cart rail! With the new system, we don’t have to put together eight different parts. And there’s an aesthetic improvement as well.”

The BayStar™ Diagnostic Cart is a hit in the automotive market, thanks to its mobile diagnostic capabilities now matched by its equally high-tech, low-profile design, and the bumper-like side rails make nicks and dents a thing of the past.

 

Back to the Future: BMS Senior Scientist Featured Speaker at FutureCoat! 2008     

Bayer MaterialScience Senior Scientist Karen Henderson was a featured speaker at this year’s FutureCoat! conference, which took place Oct. 14-16, 2008, in Chicago. Henderson collaborated with colleagues from BASF, Q-Lab and Ford to explore optimization of accelerated weathering test methods for automotive coatings.

Addressing the challenge of introducing new paint coating systems to the automotive market, Henderson and a team member from BASF delivered a joint presentation titled Understanding, Optimizing, and Measuring Water in Xenon-Arc Accelerated Weathering of Automotive OEM Coatings.

“Manufacturers typically require that a new paint system be exposed to up to five years of natural outdoor weathering, such as Florida weather, before they will implement the new technology,” said Henderson, who explained that Florida has been established as a weathering benchmark because its high temperatures, humidity and rainfall cause the most severe damage to automotive coatings, compared with other global environments. “This time constraint could be significantly reduced with a trustworthy accelerated weathering test – one that would rapidly and accurately assess the long-term weatherability of automotive coating systems.”

In the quest for an efficient test method, Henderson’s team performed a series of indoor and outdoor experiments, carefully examining water exposure in both the natural Florida environment and standard accelerated weathering devices. Through their research, they uncovered significant advancements in the understanding of water and its effect on automotive coatings.

“We identified new methods to measure water both in the field and in accelerated weathering devices,” said Henderson. “These methods revealed that different accelerated weathering machines and test protocols produced very different levels of water exposure when compared to Florida water exposure.”

Henderson co-authored an article that appeared in the September 2008 edition of CoatingsTech magazine with fellow BMS Scientist Robert Hunt, as well as J. Boisseau and L. Pattison from BASF. The article, titled “The Importance of Water in the Weathering of Automotive Coatings,” addresses a similar topic to the one that Henderson presented at FutureCoat! If you would like to read the article, please click here .

FutureCoat!, organized by Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology, attracted more than 550 participants to Chicago’s Hyatt Regency McCormick Place this year, reflecting the coatings industry's need for quality professional development and training. Highlighting new coatings research, novel product developments, plus new technology trends, Bayer MaterialScience was one of many participating companies delivering technical presentations. Attendees hail from a broad array of backgrounds, both industry and academia, and benefit from technology short courses, student poster sessions, and more than 40 tabletop exhibits.

For more information about FutureCoat! click here.

The versatile Blendur® resin systems, which are marketed under BaySystems™, the umbrella brand for the global polyurethane systems operations of Bayer MaterialScience, can be custom formulated to meet the precise requirements of most demanding composite applications.

Blendur® resin systems can be made with viscosities ranging from 30 to 2,500 mPas, and with pot life and gel times between 10 minutes and six hours, and can even be made to react at room temperature. All this flexibility allows molders to take full advantage of the systems’ unique properties including:

• Low thermal expansion
• Chemical and hydrolysis resistance
• High glass transition temperature of approximately 280°C
• High heat resistance up to approximately 240°C
• High long-term thermal stability at over 200°C
• Excellent mechanical and electrical properties up to approximately 200°C

AutoCreative is an initiative to establish Bayer MaterialScience, on a global basis, as the leading development partner and supplier of the automotive industry. By working with the AutoCreative team, customers are able to efficiently leverage the wide range of advanced products and technologies – from polyurethanes and polycarbonates, to thermoplastic polyurethanes and coatings, adhesives and sealants – offered by Bayer MaterialScience for a number of interior, exterior, underhood, chassis and electronic automotive applications. AutoCreative – Driven by Innovation.

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For  More Information

Visit our Bayer MaterialScience NAFTA Web site for a wide range of information on Bayer MaterialScience's product offering. 

On this Web site you will find:

• Automaker Specifications for BMS products
• AMECA Automotive Lighting Approvals Spring 2007 Edition
• Data sheets - (PRODUCTS section)
• Viscosity data (PRODUCTS section)
• Automotive OEM specifications (RESOURCES section)
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• Product literature (brochures) (RESOURCES section)
• Case studies (RESOURCES section)

When you need information about Bayer MaterialScience products, the answer is closer than ever with the new search engine on www.BayerMaterialScienceNAFTA.com.

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