Automotive industry under the hood optimized polyamides

Manufacturing automotive components made of polyamides located near the engine, the pipe systems for air management, fuel supply, and oil and cooling circuits are rising.

With climate change so much in the headlines, the automotive industry is doing everything it can to drastically lower fuel consumption and thus reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by vehicles. Modified engine concepts are one possible solution. As a result, the demands made on the polyamide 6 and 66 (PA 6 and 66) used to manufacture automotive components located near the engine – above all the pipe systems for air management, fuel supply, and oil and cooling circuits – are rising. "We have therefore specialized our range of Durethan polyamides for these applications and extended it with products offering, for example, improved processing, higher heat resistance and better chemical resistance," explains Ralf Zimnol, head of Applications Development in the LANXESS Semi-Crystalline Products business unit.

Economic alternative to specialty thermoplastics
For parts used in engine air management, such as air supply lines, charge-air pipes and intake air lines, LANXESS has developed a broad range of pseudoplastic PA 6 and 66 grades. This high-impact modified materials are noted for their excellent heat aging resistance and are ideal as a substitute for specialty polyamides. They can be processed by extrusion blow molding, sequential extrusion blow molding or suction blow molding. The PA 66 grades can withstand peak loads of 200 °C.

The non-reinforced PA 6, Durethan DP BC 600 HTS, which has an elasticity modulus of only approx. 350 MPas (conditioned), has particularly good cost-reducing potential. By means of suction blow molding, it can be used to manufacture charge-air pipes with integrated flexible bellows as a single-material solution. For the production of such automotive parts, it represents an economical alternative to the more complex sequential blow molding of two polyamides of differing hardness. "With this innovation, we are responding to the increasing trend towards turbocharged engines in which the charge-air pipes incorporate flexible bellows," says Zimnol. The new product has been high-temperature stabilized (HTS).

Cooling water pipes – WIT on the advance
While gas injection molding technology (GIT) has been commonly used for the production of hollow polyamide automotive parts carrying coolants and oil, water injection molding technology (WIT) is now also becoming increasingly popular due primarily to the very efficient cooling effect of water. In fact, depending on the geometry of the molded part, WIT can shorten cycle times by up to 70 percent compared with GIT. Durethan DP AKV 30 X HR EF is a new PA 66, tailor-made for the production of cooling water pipes by this technology. It is reinforced with special glass fibers developed by LANXESS. "Our material is particularly easy-flowing and hydrolysis-resistant. Because of its good melt displacement behavior, very thin walls are possible. It also produces very smooth inner pipe surfaces, benefiting the flow conditions in the cooling circuit," says Zimnol. Yet another strength of this new thermoplastic is its excellent long-term stability in contact with hot coolants. This is becoming increasingly important because temperatures in cooling circuits are rising all the time due among other things to more sophisticated automotive engine designs and to the continuing reduction in installation space.

Antistatic polyamide for fuel feed lines and filters
The gasoline/diesel lines and filters of new engine generations can become statically charged as a result of higher injection pressures and speeds. When fuel bubbles form, there is a risk of fire caused by sparks. Durethan DP BCF 30X H2.0 suppresses this risk. "Our new polyamide 6 is conductive and prevents any electrostatic build-up. But that does not mean we have made any compromises as regards the mechanical properties," says Zimnol. This readily weldable thermoplastic is already being used in the production-line manufacture of an antistatic fuel filter housing.

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