In 1992,
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) began a cooperative effort
with the Automotive Composites Consortium (ACC) to develop technologies
to overcome hurdles in adhesive bonding of current and future automotive
materials. This effort is part of a larger Department of Energy (DOE)
program to promote the use of lighter weight materials in automotive
structures - the Lightweight
Materials Program which is encompassed in the Partnership
for a New Generation of Vehicles - PNGV. By reducing the weight
of current automobiles, greater fuel conservation and reduced environmental
pollutant emissions will be achieved. The bonding of similar and dissimilar
materials was identified as being of primary importance to the automotive
industry because it is an enabling technology allowing designers the
freedom to choose from a wide variety of low mass materials, including
composites.
The
technical goals for the adhesive bonding initiative have been defined
by the automotive industry. The comprehensive effort addresses the following
research areas of importance: bulk material characterization, structural
fracture mechanics, modeling/characterization, process control and non-destructive
evaluation, and advanced processing.
The
adhesive bonding program is being executed by industry, university and
government researchers and is manages jointly by the ACC Joining Group
and ORNL staff members. Plans for extension of this research program
to meet future needs include evaluating effects of environmental exposure,
developing fatigue and creep test methods, and continuing investigation
in rapid-cure and surface preparation technologies.
Related
Information:
R. G.
Boeman, D. L. Erdman, L. B. Klett, and F. L. Paulauskas, Adhesive
Bonding for Automotive Applications, DOE's Lightweight Vehicle Materials
Program, Presented at the 1996 Automotive Technology Development
Customer's Coordination Meeting, Dearborn, Michigan.
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