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Automotive fenders is one such example where specialized thermoplastic material Noryl GTX* (blend of Polyphenyleneoxide (PPO) + Polyamide (PA)) has successfully replaced metal by meeting functional requirements. The evolution of a fender design to fulfill these requirements is often obtained through a combination of unique material properties and predictive engineering backed design process that accounts for fender behavior during the various phases of its lifecycle. This paper gives an overview of the collaborative design process between Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and SABIC Innovative Plastics and the role of predictive engineering in the evolution of a thermoplastic fender design of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's compact SUV RVR fender launched recently. While significant predictive work was done on manufacturing and use stage design aspects, the focus of this paper is the design work related to identifying support configuration during the paint bake cycle.

The emergence of thermoplastics in automotive structural parts is constantly increasing as designers recognize the benefits thermoplastics bring, such as light-weighting, cost effectiveness, the ability to integrate parts, the flexibility to design intricate shapes, and the materials’ high specific energy absorption capacity. In order to predict the behavior of plastics by simulation using finite elemental analysis (FEA) tools such as LS-DYNA®1, an extensive understanding of properties and implementation using FEA is very important. In order to obtain reliable results from simulation, the FEA solver should support material models which predict the behavior of plastics accurately. LS-DYNA® supports several material models which are used to predict behaviour of plastics, and one, the Semi-Analytical Model for Polymers (SAMP-1 with GISSMO failure), was developed exclusively for plastics.