Les contraintes de développement des pièces en matériaux plastiques dans l'automobile

Un exemple de réussite, l'aile souple de la Clio 16S

Development constrains of plastic parts in the automotive industry

An example of success, the flexible fender of the Clio 16S

¹ Direction des Technologies de Production, Renault - Boulogne Billancourt
² Direction de la Recherche, Renault - Rueil Malmaison

Abstract

In the automotive industry, materials have to satisfy, reliability, low cost, functionality and recycling criteria. On theses points, polymer materials have well known advantages, which should allow to increase their use from 10% now, to 20% in the 2000 years. However, that will require to establish a close collaboration between designers, chemisiers, producers, mold makers and painters. The flexible fender of the Clio I6S is an illustration of the achievement of such an approach. The concept of a flexible plastic fender has initially been studied for the 5 GT Turbo. That experience allows to demonstrate its feasibility, and to choose a material, the Noryl GTX for its flexibility, its injection capabilities, its resistance to building conditions, and its recycling properties. That experience has been put in a concrete industrial form, only owing to a close collaboration between painters, designers and producers. It particularly allows to prove the possibility of opting for a 2 mm part thickness. Painters had to develop a surface treatment insuring shock resistance. Designers and transformers simultaneously intensively used the best mechanical, rheological and thermal simulation softwares.