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GE XENOY RESIN HELPING TO RE-DEFINE PEDESTRIAN IMPACT PROTECTION SYSTEMS
21 March 2005 - GE Advanced Materials
| GE Advanced Materials, Automotive has developed new Pedestrian Impact Protection materials and design innovations to help automotive manufacturers and tier suppliers with the design of front-end safety systems. |
GE Advanced Materials, Automotive has developed new Pedestrian Impact Protection materials and design innovations to help automotive manufacturers and tier suppliers with the design of front-end safety systems. In GE’s new, front-end safety concept, energy absorbers molded from the company’s XENOY resin are positioned directly behind the vehicle’s fascia to help cushion possible impact. GE has developed the concept to help meet European Union (EU) pedestrian protection legislation due to come into effect in 2005. The latest accident statistics show that each year in the EU an estimated 7,000 pedestrians are killed and several hundred thousand injured as a result of vehicle front-end impact. This has led the European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Committee (EEVC) to develop legislation to provide greater protection to pedestrians involved in automotive accidents. Other countries, including Japan, are considering similar legislation. Although there is no similar legislation in the United States, vehicles designed and exported across the globe will need to meet EU legislation. The EEVC will require the automotive industry to test and monitor new vehicles to assess their pedestrian protection performance in 40 km/h (25mph) impacts. Research shows that there are three main areas of the pedestrian’s body most subject to injury from a moving vehicle: the head, pelvis and upper leg, and the knee and lower leg. These injuries are associated directly with specific areas of the car. Head injuries usually result from contact with the hood top and A-pillars; pelvis and upper leg injuries from impact with hood top and fender; and knee and lower leg damage generally results from contact with the bumper. The European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) has conducted a series of tests in accordance with EEVC guidelines and found that most mainstream cars manufactured in the United States, Europe, and the Pacific, which are available in Europe, fail to adequately meet the criteria. Tests conducted by the GE Advanced Materials engineering team have demonstrated that the front-end safety energy absorbers, molded from XENOY resin, have the ability to manage energy sufficiently below the limits proposed by the EEVC, to help reduce deceleration, bending, and shear of the lower leg. The XENOY resin-based energy absorber in GE’s pedestrian impact protection concept also helped to contribute to sleeker styling, weight reduction, and potentially lower vehicle costs. It provided for easy assembly and, with technical support from GE Advanced Materials’ team of automotive specialists, helped shorten development time. Moreover, GE Advanced Material’s global presence enables it to meet material availability and delivery continuity to satisfy a demanding manufacturing schedule.
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About: GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicone-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer (http://www.gesilicones.com/gesilicones/am1/en/home.jsp); • Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (http://www.geplastics.com/); • Quartz produces high purity materials for the semiconductor, fiber optic, lamp making and water purification industries. GE Quartz is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (http://www.gequartz.com/en/index.htm); Established in 1968, GE Advanced Materials’ Specialty Film & Sheet business is a leading supplier of high-performance engineering film and sheet products to the United States, Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and operates a worldwide network of sales, research, manufacturing and technical services facilities. Today, GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet employs about 600 people, and manufactures engineering sheet and film products at 12 facilities in 9 countries worldwide. Recent investments:
• 2003 New Roofing Structures Line in Italy, Europe
• 2003 New Coating Lines in China & Malaysia, Pacific
• 2002 Acquisition of Plastech, China
• 2001 New Film Lines in USA and Europe
• 2001 Acquisition of Carboron, Malaysia
• 2000 Acquisition of Matraplast, Canada
• 2000 Acquisition of Nim Plastics, USA Products:
GE Advanced Materials offers a variety of film materials are to meet different type of applications such as graphic film, coated products, electrical & electronic products, and specialties. The key film materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate film
• Ultem* film
• Lexan* SLX film
• Valox* film
• Lexan* Illuminex* film GE Advanced Materials’ sheet product line includes a wide range of structures from solid sheet, multi-wall sheet and corrugated sheet through to coated sheet and laminates and combinations of each of these. The key sheet materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate sheet
• Lexan* Solar Control IR sheet
• Margard* coated sheet
• Lexgard* laminated sheet
• Ultem* sheet
• Lexan EXL* sheet GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet, serves customers in a variety of industries including aircraft, appliances, automotive, building and construction, business machines, electrical & lighting, furnishing, greenhouse, industrial roofing, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications and packaging. In January 2004, in line with GE Corporate’ new brand architecture, GE Advanced Materials has announced the change of GE Structured Products business naming to GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet. |
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