Search Results for extruded automotive bumpers

Alloy 6013 is a high-strength Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy, developed for extruded automotive bumpers. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical, tensile, static and fracture properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 6xxx series alloy.

Product design greatly influences the recycling and reuse of manufacturing materials. This article presents a design for recycling strategy based on ease of disassembly, minimizing process scrap, using readily recyclable materials, and labelling or otherwise identifying parts. It also discusses the concept of life-cycle analysis (LCA), a quantitative accounting of the environmental and economic costs of using a given material and the energy required to make, distribute, operate, and eventually dispose of the host product and its constituent materials. An important but often overlooked step in the LCA process is to identify potential improvement pathways.

This datasheet provides information on composition limits, product specifications, fabrication characteristics, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of extrusion alloy 7003.

Compression molding is the single largest primary manufacturing process used for automotive composite applications. This article provides an overview of the compression molding process. It describes the basic design, materials, and processing equipment of three main groups of composite materials, namely, glass-fiber-mat-reinforced thermoplastics, long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, and sheet molding compounds. The article also presents information on the application examples and market volume of compression molding.

The development of aluminum alloys has progressed along two tracks: heat treatable and non-heat treatable. The Aluminum Association alloy composition limits and product temper are defined for major alloying elements. This article summarizes the historical evolution of the different series of wrought aluminum alloys (1xxx to 8xxx) and discusses their applications based on the alloying system introduced by the Aluminum Association.

Plastic deformation of one or both metals is required to obtain bonding in cold welding. This article presents a theoretical model, to explain the bond strength, based on metallographic studies and continuum mechanical analysis of the local plastic deformation in the weld interface. It describes the bonding mechanisms, with illustrations. The article discusses the alternative methods of surface preparation and quality control of the weld interface of a cold weld. It concludes with a description of a variety of metal-forming processes suitable for production of cold welds, namely, rolling, indentation, butt welding, extrusion, and shear welding.

Aluminum, the second most plentiful metallic element, is an economic competitor in various applications owing to its appearance, light weight, fabricability, physical properties, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. This article discusses the primary and secondary production of aluminum and classification system for cast and wrought aluminum alloys. It talks about various manufactured forms of aluminum and its alloys, which are classified into standardized products such as sheet, plate, foil, rod, bar, wire, tube, pipe, and structural forms, and engineered products such as extruded shapes, forgings, impacts, castings, stampings, powder metallurgy parts, machined parts, and metal-matrix composites. The article also reviews important fabrication characteristics in the machining, forming, forging, and joining of aluminum alloys. It concludes with a description of the major industrial applications of aluminum, including building and construction, transportation, consumer durables, electrical, machinery and equipment, containers and packaging, and other applications.

Injection molding is a process of forcing or injecting a fluid plastic material into a closed mold. The process generally has the advantages of being more readily automated and of permitting finer part details. Injection-molding compounds are thermoplastic or thermosetting materials and their composites that are specifically formulated for the injection-molding process. This article discusses the injection molding process, which includes the two basic categories of thermoplastic and thermoset injection molding, and lists the common thermoplastic and thermoset molding compounds and applications. It also describes the operation of the different types of injection molding machines as well as mold design and process controls. The article also describes the selection of injection-moldable thermosets, and provides an overview of part performance, properties, blowing agents, and aesthetic concerns related to thermoplastic structural-foam injection molding.

This article discusses the family characteristics, commercial forms, applications, resin grades, and mechanical and physical properties of traditional engineering thermoplastics in their neat (unmodified) form and as compounds and composites, namely, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrenes, acrylics, high-density polyethylenes, reinforced polypropylenes, high-impact polystyrenes, polyvinyl chloride, styrene-acrylonitriles, and styrene-maleic anhydrides.

This article discusses postconsumer plastics recyclate quantities, the classification of plastics recycling into primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary categories, and how the life cycle of plastics is affected by recycling. The recycling processes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which accounts for the largest percentage of plastic recycling, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics, the other large-volume plastic recyclate, as well as vinyl resins and polycarbonate resins are described. The life cycle of plastics has four phases: poly formation, part fabrication, product service, and disposal. Landfilling is still the primary method of final disposal, and incineration is another option, but recycling has become a viable alternative. The article presents a comparison between secondary and tertiary recycling.

Stretch forming is the forming of sheet, bars, and rolled or extruded sections over a die or form block of the required shape while the workpiece is held in tension. This article discusses the applicability, advantages, and machines and accessories of stretch forming. It provides a detailed discussion on four methods of stretch forming, namely, stretch draw forming, stretch wrapping, compression forming, and radial draw forming.

This article introduces the basic characteristics, processes, and product forms associated with the five major categories of aluminum wrought products, namely, flat-rolled products (sheet, plate, and foil); rod, bar, and wire; tubular products; profiles; and forgings. It summarizes the various product forms in which commonly used wrought aluminum alloys are available. The article also provides design guidelines for aluminum extrusions and discusses various forming methods.

The general structural alloy 6061 is a balanced alloy containing silicon and magnesium in appropriate proportions to form magnesium silicide, which makes the alloy precipitation hardenable. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 6xxx series alloy.

This article discusses the most fundamental building-block level, atomic level, molecular considerations, intermolecular structures, and supermolecular issues. It contains a table that shows the structures and lists the properties of selected commodity and engineering plastics. The article describes the effects of structure on thermal and mechanical properties. It reviews the chemical, optical, and electrical properties of engineering plastics and commodity plastics. An explanation of important physical properties, many of which are unique to polymers, is also included. The factors that must be considered when processing engineering thermoplastics are discussed. These include melt viscosity and melt strength; crystallization; orientation, die swell, shrinkage, and molded-in stress; polymer degradation; and polymer blends.

Manufacturing process selection is a critical step in plastic product design. The article provides an overview of the functional requirements that a part must fulfil before process selection is attempted. A brief discussion on the effects of individual thermoplastic and thermosetting processes on plastic parts and the material properties is presented. The article presents process effects on molecular orientation. It also illustrates the thinking that goes into the selection of processes for size, shape, and design factors. Finally, the article describes how various processes handle reinforcement.

Advanced thermoplastics are stiff, moldable plastics that compete with traditional engineering thermoplastics and thermosets owing to their good tensile, compressive, impact, and shear strength, electrical properties, and corrosion resistance. This article discusses commercial forms, family characteristics, properties and applications of the following advanced thermoplastics: homopolymer and copolymer acetals, fluoropolymers, ionomers, polyamides, polyamide-imides, polyarylates, polyketones, polyaryl sulfones, polybutylene terephthalates, polycarbonates, polyether-imides, polyether sulfones, polyethylene terephthalates, thermoplastic polyimides, liquid crystal polymers, polyphenylene ether blends, polyphenylene sulfides, and polysulfones.

This article provides an overview of the metallurgical effects on corrosion of different series of aluminum alloys (1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx) that are classified into two categories. The first category includes the effects from insoluble, intermetallic constituent particles generally formed from trace impurity elements that play a predominant role in pitting corrosion. The second category comprises the effects from precipitation of secondary phases and effects from solute remaining in solid solution on corrosion of aluminum.

Molding compounds are plastic materials in varying stages of pellets or granulation that consist of resin, filler, pigments, reinforcement, plasticizers, and other ingredients ready for use in a molding operation. This article describes the material components and physical properties of sheet molding compounds (SMC). The three types of resin paste mixing techniques, such as batch, batch/continuous, and continuous, for an SMC operation are reviewed. The article discusses the design features and functional operations of the two types of SMC machines, namely, continuous-belt and beltless machines. It explains the formulation and processing of bulk molding compounds and reviews molding methods for bulk molding compounds, including compression, transfer, and injection molding. The effects of the fiber type and length and the matrix type on thermoset bulk molding compounds are discussed. It describes the four injection molding processes of injection molding compounds such as feeding, transporting, injecting, and flowing.

The selection of engineered materials is an integrated process that requires an understanding of the interaction between materials properties, manufacturing characteristics, design considerations, and the total life cycle of the product. This article classifies various engineered materials, including ferrous alloys, nonferrous alloys, ceramics, cermets and cemented carbides, engineering plastics, polymer-matrix composites, metal-matrix composites, ceramic-matrix and carbon-carbon composites, and reviews their general property characteristics and applications. It describes the synergy between the elements of the materials selection process and presents a general comparison of material properties. Finally, the article provides a short note on computer aided materials selection systems, which help in proper archiving of materials selection decisions for future reference.

Aluminum and its alloys are among the more formable materials of commonly fabricated metals. This article discusses the formability, bendability, and springback of aluminum and its alloys. It describes the forming limit diagrams that illustrate the biaxial combinations of strain that can occur without splitting. The article reviews various bending methods, such as draw, compression, ram and press, roll, and stretch or tension bending. It describes the process variations of incremental sheet forming (ISF), such as single-point incremental forming, two-point incremental forming, and kinematic incremental sheet forming. The article concludes with a discussion on spinning, warm forming, and superplastic forming.