MATERIALS | THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES
Above: Lanxess has introduced new flame- retardant
thermoplastic composite materials with a polyamide 6 matrix
Right: Lanxess has worked with BOGE Elastmetall to produce an all-plastic brake pedal for a mass- production battery-electric sports car
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ensuring proper mixing to obtain a matrix with good isotropic properties. Inadequate mixture will cause agglomerates to act as stress concentrators and invalidate the stress behaviour simulations performed using finite element method (FEM) software. Co-rotating twin-screw extruders are used to ensure proper mixing. Screw profile and processing conditions can be optimised through simulation. Aimplas uses Ludovic software to reduce the number of experimental tests and still optimise compound quality.” Lanxess has introduced new flame-retardant thermoplastic composite materials with a PA 6 matrix. The company says that Tepex continuous- fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites have high inherent flame-retardant properties, resulting from their high fibre content. They therefore already pass many of the flammability tests required for typical applications without flame protection. However, for some applications – such as housings for control cabinets or components of high-voltage batteries for electric vehicles – a V-0 classification in the UL 94 flammability test from the US testing institute Underwriters Laboratories is often manda- tory. For such cases, Lanxess has developed three new halogen-free, flame-retardant Tepex variants with a PA 6 matrix. “These structural materials are the material of choice when a V-0 classification is required and the components need to have a very high degree of strength, rigidity and energy absorption at the same time,” says Sabrina Anders, Project Manager at the Lanxess subsidiary Bond- Laminates in Brilon, Germany. Tepex Dynalite 102fr-RG600(x)/47% is rein-
forced with roving glass fibres. These can also be arranged multiaxially and precisely matched to the load transfer points and load paths in the component. The composite is universally applicable and is suitable for high-voltage compo-
INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2021
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nents of electric vehicle batteries, such as separator plates, cover plates and control unit housings. In contrast, Tepex Dynalite 102fr-FG290 is targeted at applications in the electrical and electronics sector. With its reinforcement of fine glass fibre, it produc- es high-quality surfaces that are easy to paint. It is suitable, for example, for small housings that are required to comply with the DIN EN 45545-2 standard, Railway applications – Fire protection on railway vehicles. Tepex Dynalite 202fr is reinforced with carbon fibres and is intended for components subjected to extreme mechanical stress, such as high-strength electronic housings. According to Anders: “It is an alternative to composites made of flame-retardant polycarbonate if their strength and rigidity are not sufficient, for example.” All three structural materials are available in quantities for large-scale applications. They are also available in variants that are electromagneti- cally shielded by a carbon textile insert in the composite or a metallic surface coating. The UL 94 V-0 classification refers to specimen thicknesses of 0.5-3.5 mm. Lanxess has also worked with BOGE Elastmetall
to produce an all-plastic brake pedal for a mass- production battery-electric sports car. The safety- critical component has been developed by BOGE Elastmetall, a global provider of vibration technol- ogy and plastics applications for the automotive industry, in close cooperation with the Lanxess High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit. The pedal owes its high mechanical strength and low weight to a thermoplastic composite design. Its structure comprises an insert made from Tepex dynalite, a continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplas- tic composite from Lanxess, and several tapes. “The composite structure makes the brake pedal 50% lighter than a comparable steel design,” says Klaus Vonberg, an expert in lightweight design at HPM’s Tepex Automotive Group. “The structural component meets the demanding load require- ments thanks to the tailor-made fibre-layer con- struction of the Tepex insert and additional local tape reinforcement. Extensive automation allows the geometrically complex safety-critical component to be manufactured efficiently
IMAGE: LANXESS
IMAGE: LANXESS
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