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Supplier Capabilities Section
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Laminated Steels
Move from Power Train
Into Body Applications
Long used for valve covers, disk brake damper, oil pans, heat shields and other power train applications, laminated steels are beginning to appear on body applications. A combination of weight, performance and cost factors has driven this trend.
Laminated steel produces substantial improvements in the NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) characteristics of any end product, owing to the inherent nature of its design. A core of viscoelastic or other damping material has proven the best means of eliminating vibrational energy which causes perceptible noise and ride conditions. In the brake area, as an example, constrained layer material is now used on 100% of all North American GM vehicles and 80% of all Ford and Chrysler vehicles for brake damping. Likewise, laminated steels, as well as ceramic/metal composites, are already on the road as front engine covers, transmission pan covers, exhaust manifold and take-down pipe heat shields.
Body applications, while having high appeal as laminate potentials, were not penetrated until recently, owing largely to perceived cost prohibitions. The physical characteristics of laminated steel, with its obvious space savings and corresponding fewer component parts, were advantageous from a design and manufacturing perspective. Plus, as a series of recent tests on laminated steels for a North American vehicle manufacturer's various interior and body NVH applications demonstrated, the performance characteristics of these products were up to 100X superior to cold-rolled steel in damping within the designed temperature ranges. These tests were performed by MSC Laminates and Composites Inc.,
a major supplier of laminates for such applications.
Confronting the cost factors on such applications remained a challenge. Engineers at MSC Laminates and Composites responded with improved designs
of the company's PCX-1 laminated steels, in various composite thickness ranges, for dash panel, upper plenum, floor pan, roof panel and trunk floor applications, plus many others currently under investigation for potential conversion by their vehicle manufacturing customers.
The challenge was to remain structurally valid, while maintaining a cost-competitive status against conventional CRS. The tests were performed for stiffness and damping and it was concluded that typical large structural body panels would require up to a 30% upgauging to maintain equivalent stiffness for modal characteristics, as well as durability. However, while the test panel itself was increased in weight, the overall system was cut in total mass by nearly 6 lbs. (27 to 21.2 lbs.) in one dash panel application.
- Take Down Pipe
Heat Shields
- Exhaust Manifold
Heat Shields
- Brake Dampers
- Brake Booster
Bracket
- Upper Dash
- Toe Pan
- Front Floor
Pan
- Rear Floor
Pan
- Inner/Outer
Wheel Wells
- Spark Plug
Shields
- Oil Pan
- Valve Covers
- Front Engine
Cover
- Differential
Cover
- Transfer Gear
Case Cover
- Transmission
Pan Cover
- Upper Cowl
- Lower Dash
- Catalytic
Converter
Heat
Shields
- Exhaust
Tunnel
Heat Shields
- Trunk Pan
- Fuel
Tank Heat
Shields
Specific applications of MSC Laminates and Composites' Polycore Composites®
Phone: 1-800-877-9078 or 847/439-1822
Fax: 847/806-2219
Website: www.matsci.com
Email: bandc@interaccess.com
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