Summary
Polymeric materials are still currently used in a multitude of automotive applications. Some of these are very difficult to recycle, e.g. PVC and sulphur-cured rubbers, while others are even harmful to the environment, such as rubbers containing nitrosamine.
Aim of this project was the formulation of the scientific technological basis for the production of recyclable sound absorbing and heat insulating components for motor cars manufactured from ecologically friendly plastics.
As conception of the research project the development of recipes of sound absorbing and heat insulating components as well as layer materials in motor cars was formulated on uniform material basis, particularly with special regard to thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) with selective cross-linked rubber phase (TPE-V / dynamic vulcanizates) as well as uncross-linked polyolefin-rubber TPE (TPE-O).
Results:
- The uniform material basis provides thereby firstly for a high adhesion strength between several layers in laminates, and secondly it causes a cost reduction because all the layers together are thermoplastically processable and accordingly recyclable. Thus, previously necessary separating procedures before the recycling can be avoided.
- The environmental compatibility of the developed materials was enhanced by the use of crosslinking systems on the basis of peroxides, which allows for manufacturing of odorless dynamic vulcanizates.
- By means of modification using several additives and optimization of production conditions an improved performance in these applications both for already available in production approved material compositions and for newly developed materials on the basis of polyolefinic dynamic vulcanizates (TPE-V) but also TPE-O was achieved.
