Explain the development direction of polyurethane for automotive in China

First, the future development direction of materials for the automotive industry

During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, China's automobile industry developed at a super high speed, and its production and sales volume ranked first in the world. Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that in 2010, China produced 18.267 million vehicles, an increase of 22% over 2005, and sales of 18.069 million vehicles, an increase of 213.7% over 2005. According to the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” of the automobile, 25 million production capacity will be formed by 2015. From the current scale of production capacity disclosed by various enterprises to 2015, the actual production capacity of China's automobiles will reach 53 million.

The future development of China's automobile industry will gradually shift from focusing on production capacity and scale to more emphasis on quality and level. Lightweight, green, comfortable and safe, will become the three major themes of the future development of automotive materials in China.

According to relevant statistics, at present, the average amount of PU in a car in China is 15~20 kg. In 2010, China's automobile industry PU consumption was around 300,000 tons. The application of PU materials in cars is one of the important indicators for measuring the quality of cars. European and American high-end cars, PU dosage 25~30 kg.

In 2009, China's PU product consumption reached 5.5 million tons, and consumption in 2010 reached 6.4 million tons. In 2009, the consumption of MDI was 1 million tons, TDI was 1.43 million tons, and polyether polyol was 1.35 million tons. China's PU industry developed rapidly. It has created the necessary conditions for the rapid development of China's automobile industry.

PU materials for the automotive industry, mainly including soft, hard, semi-rigid, foam, PU elastomer (including CPU, TPU microcellular elastomer), adhesives, sealants and coatings (see Table 1).

Second, PU is the key material to realize the lightweight of automotive materials

The application of PU foam in automotive interior parts: In 2010, the amount of PU soft foam in China's automotive interior parts was 152,000 tons, and the amount of PU rigid foam was 67,000 tons. Mainly used in automotive dashboards, seat cushions, backrests, headrests, doors, handrails, steering wheel assemblies, car roofs, door panels and seals. Reducing the density of PU foam is an important technical way to achieve lightweight automotive interior parts. At present, the main technical approaches adopted in China are: high-solid content, low-viscosity POP (graft polyether) and high-functionality, high-activity polyether technology.

RIM (Reactive Injection Molding), RRIM (Enhanced Reaction Injection Molding) and SRIM (Structural Reaction Injection Molding) PU Products for Automotive Lightweight Applications: RIM, RRIM and SRIM in Europe and America

Table 1 List of automotive polyurethane products

It has been widely used in the automotive industry, mainly for bumpers, steering wheels, body panels, engine covers, trunk lids, radiator grilles, fenders, spoilers, etc. RRIM products weigh only half the weight of steel and are an important way to achieve lightweight vehicles. At present, there are still some gaps in the usage and quality of domestic automotive industry RIM and other technologies, and further development is needed.

PU material is the most promising material for automotive plasticization. At present, the development direction of the world's automobiles (mainly cars and new energy vehicles) is lighter. Lightweight is to improve fuel combustion efficiency and reduce vehicle exhaust emissions, and is also an important technical measure to achieve energy saving and emission reduction. The plasticization of automotive materials, plastics to replace steel, is an inevitable trend and important technical approach to the development of lightweight vehicles. Different parts of automotive parts consume different energy.

For example, for parts with the same weight (450 g), the energy consumption of plastic parts is equivalent to 3.9~4.5 kg of gasoline. If aluminum or steel is used, the energy consumption is equivalent to 5.3~6.8 kg of gasoline. Statistics show that for every 10% reduction in vehicle weight, fuel consumption can be reduced by 6% to 8%.

At present, the average plastic consumption of cars in developed countries is 120 kg/car, and the average plastic consumption of German cars is 300 kg. The average plastic consumption of cars in China is 80~100 kg/car, and the amount of Audi A2 car is 220 kg. By 2020, the average plastic consumption of cars in developed countries will reach 500 kg/unit. BASF manufactures a full PU body sports car with a top speed of 270 km/h. Using RRIM technology, the PU body is a carbon fiber reinforced microcellular PU elastomer composite.

Third, TPU and its composite materials are one of the important raw materials for plastics in automobiles.

The plastic parts currently used in cars are mainly PP (polypropylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PU and PA (nylon). The development direction of automotive plastic parts is to continuously introduce materials with excellent cost performance and recycling. Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) materials offer unique advantages. TPU has been used in various components of automobile bodies, including TPU plastic alloys, such as TPU and PP, PVC, PA and other plastics constitute a cost-effective composite material, which can play a major role in the automotive industry. TPU rubber composites: Composites composed of TPU and various rubbers have important applications in the automotive industry.

(1) TPU/PP (polypropylene) plastic alloy

At present, reinforced rubber composite structural materials for automotive TPU-PP glass fiber (including long fiber and short fiber) are being developed at home and abroad. This material has the advantages of light weight, excellent cost performance and recyclability, and is expected to be widely used in automobiles. Internal and external trim parts, such as bumpers and their brackets, various brackets and structural frames on the car, once developed successfully, the application of TPU in the car will be greatly increased.

(2) TPU/PC (polycarbonate) plastic alloy

TPU/PC blend alloy can improve the toughness, stress cracking, fracture sensitivity, solvent resistance and chemical resistance of PC, and at the same time reduce the molding temperature of PC, and expand its application range in the automotive industry.

(3) TPU/PVC plastic alloy

TPU/PVC alloys can significantly increase PVC elongation (which can replace toxic DOP plasticizers) and expand PVC applications. Recently, reactive blending techniques have been reported to prepare TPU/PVC alloys. Firstly, PVC is dissolved in the raw material glycol of TPU, and then isocyanate is added for in-situ polymerization to form TPU/PVC alloy, which is superior to the general TPU/PVC blend alloy. In the automotive field, the application range is expanded.

(4) TPU/PA6 (nylon 6) plastic alloy

Nylon 6 is the most cost-effective and most versatile engineering plastic in nylon. PA6 has the characteristics of high strength, corrosion resistance, oil resistance and self-lubricating properties, but it has the disadvantages of low impact toughness and large hygroscopicity. This limits its field of application. TPU elastomer has the characteristics of high strength, high elasticity, high wear resistance, etc., but has the disadvantage of low temperature resistance. The development of TPU/PA6 engineering plastics combines the advantages of the above two materials and overcomes its shortcomings. It will be a new high-performance composite material. It has a wide range of applications in the automotive industry.

TPU plastic alloy and TPU rubber composite materials have the advantages of recycling and recycling. At present, there are more than 50 million used vehicles in China, and 10 million old vehicles will be transformed and invalidated every year. Advanced countries in Europe and the United States have clearly proposed recyclability indicators and availability for plastic parts for the automotive industry, requiring automotive plastics to recover more than 95% and availability of over 90%. China's National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly formulated the technical policy for the recycling of automobile parts. By 2017, China's autorecovery rate requirements will reach over 95% and the utilization rate will reach 85%. TPU is a recyclable thermoplastic elastomer, but the annual consumption of TPU in China's auto industry is only about 30,000 tons. Composite materials such as TPU plastic alloy undoubtedly provide new applications for new TPU elastomer materials in automobiles. Great market opportunity.

Fourth, PU green environmental protection materials are the inevitable trend of automotive materials development

(1) Development of low VOC PU foam

The VOC (organic volatile matter) content in the car has become an important evaluation index for consumers' awareness of their products;

VOC volatiles in PU foam, PU adhesive, PU coating, PU synthetic leather, etc. are the main factors affecting the air quality inside the vehicle;

Research and control of harmful gases and volatility in PU materials and effective preventive measures for the improvement of the interior environment of the vehicle are of great significance to the development of China's automobile industry;

PU foam VOC for automotive interior parts Main sources: polyether polyols (mainly POP), catalysts, stabilizers (stabilizers), volatile organic compounds in isocyanates including aromatic compounds (toluene, styrene) and organic amines Class of compounds, etc.;

Develop high solids, low volatility POP, organic amine reactive catalysts, low volatility foam stabilizers, etc. Shanghai Institute of Applied Technology is working with Wuhan Xingqiao Polymer New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. to develop an in-vehicle VOC air purifier that has a significant effect on improving the air quality inside the car.

(2) Actively developing green technologies for the production of vegetable oil-based polyols

Vegetable oil is a renewable resource. Using vegetable oils such as soybean oil, castor oil and palm oil as raw materials, the corresponding vegetable oil polyol can be developed to replace the polyether polyol of the petrochemical route. Bio-based PU foam recycling rate, organic matter volatilization and CO2 emissions are superior to petroleum-based PU foam, and it is a green environmentally friendly raw material. The United States focuses on the development of soybean oil-based vegetable oil polyols, and Ford Motor Company of the United States has successfully developed soybean oil-based PU foam for automotive seat cushions and seat backs. Malaysia has developed a range of palm oil polyols using local resources and is widely used in the PU rigid foam sector. Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan has successfully developed a castor oil-based PU foam seat cushion.

(3) Actively develop PU green tire technology

At present, most of the global automobile tires use rubber tires. When such a car tire is driven in the city, a large amount of harmful substance particles are generated in the air due to friction with the ground, which is an important pollution source for the poor quality of the urban air environment. PU tires have excellent wear resistance (3 to 5 times that of natural rubber and up to 10 times for practical applications). They do not contain carbon black and paraffin hydrocarbons. They are used in urban transportation and will greatly improve urban air. quality. PU tires have the advantages of low processing energy consumption, energy saving and long service life compared with rubber tires. The important raw material for rubber tires is natural rubber (NR). China's tire industry needs NR 490-6 million tons per year, accounting for 50% of global production, while self-sufficiency rate is only 13%~16%. A large number of imported NRs are required. 40,000 yuan / t or more. Therefore, it is imperative to actively develop PU tires, which has been included in the key development targets of the China PU Industry Association during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

South China University of Technology has successfully developed PU-rubber composite tires using CPU technology, which is already in the industrialization stage. Shanghai Institute of Applied Technology is actively developing TPU tires, and welcomes relevant units to participate in cooperation.

(4) The development prospect of automotive water-based PU adhesives is broad

With the improvement of environmental regulations and environmental awareness, solvent-based automotive adhesives will gradually be replaced by environmentally friendly adhesives such as water-based adhesives. In particular, the promotion and application of water-based automotive interior adhesives is imperative. Water-based interior adhesives are mainly used to bond interior parts such as car roofs, floors, carpets, instrument panels, and door panels. At present, Japan's automotive interior adhesives are all water-based, 60% in the United States and 20% in China. In water-based automotive interior adhesives, PU adhesives are the main varieties. China's water-based PU interior rubber technology has become increasingly mature, and should be actively promoted in the automotive field.

In addition, with the increasing weight of automobiles and the increasing use of plastic parts, environmentally friendly solvent-free PU structural adhesives have broad application prospects in the automotive field, such as glass fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) and sheet molding composites (SMC). At present, it has been widely used in automobile bodies, ceilings, cockpit covers, etc. in Europe, America and Japan. FRP and SMC cannot use traditional welding techniques and are assembled with the body frame, and bonding technology must be used. Solvent-free PU adhesives are among the most important varieties.

(5) Bright prospects for the development of automotive water-based PU coatings

The waterborne PU softening coating is a low VOC coating that is more than 10 times lower than conventional solvent based coating VOC volatiles. With the light weight of automobiles, the application of plastic parts continues to expand, and environmentally friendly green water-based PU flexible materials are the future development direction of automotive plastic parts coatings.

(6) PU synthetic leather has broad application prospects in automotive interiors

Compared with leather, PU synthetic leather has the advantages of odorless, soft hand feeling, good abrasion resistance, high tear strength and good color fastness. It overcomes the problem of increasingly tight dermal resources and serious environmental pollution. Greening requirements for decorative parts. In particular, PU microfiber suede has the advantages of luxurious appearance, soft texture, elegant luster and good durability, which makes the interior parts of the car have the feeling of living in the room. It has been favored by automobile manufacturers and become an indispensable high-grade car. Interior environmentally friendly materials.

5. PU material comfort and safety is its important development direction

(1) Improving the comfort of automobiles is an important development direction of PU automotive interior parts

The car seat cushion, backrest and headrest are the most expensive parts of polyurethane foam in the car, and it is also the most sensitive place for people to ride comfort, so the performance requirements of the product are also very strict. At present, polyurethane foam cushions for domestic automobiles are mostly cold-cured products of uniform density. The new car seat cushion developed in recent years uses double-hardness or multi-hardness foam. The production of double-hardness cushion can be realized by injecting polyether polyol and isocyanate into the mold through double or multi-head mixing head. The full MDI cold molding process is used to accurately control the hardness of the different parts of the seat cushion by changing the isocyanate index - the middle of the seat cushion is soft and the sides are hard. Soft foam gives comfort, and the hard parts on both sides provide support. When the car is driving at high speed or turning, it helps to maintain the stability of the driver and passengers and improve the safety of the ride. Wuhan Xingqiao Polymer Technology Co., Ltd. has used multi-component mixing technology to produce double-hardness and multi-hardness foam, and its technical level is in the leading position in China.

(2) Microporous PU used as a car floor damping pad

Microcellular polyurethane foams are expected to replace rubber materials in most body bodies as underbody cushions. North American car manufacturers are working hard to make cars quieter and more comfortable. The cushion is mounted on the chassis of the vehicle to isolate the body and frame to improve ride and driving quality. Microporous polyurethane is a unique innovative material for sound insulation and vibration absorbing (NVH).

As a substitute for rubber car body assembly, microporous polyurethane is competitively priced, can effectively improve shock absorption performance, extend material performance retention time, reduce quality, and improve assembly process. Another advantage of using microporous polyurethanes is that by changing the material density, it is convenient to optimize the chassis anti-vibration pads, rather than having to adjust the material production recipe or product geometry as in conventional processes. The latter needs to be prototyped, which is costly and time consuming.

(3) Microporous PU elastomer auxiliary spring shock absorber

The auxiliary spring for the front and rear independent suspension dampers of the car is made of a cylindrical tower-shaped microporous polyurethane elastomer (microfoaming type). This spring system has a particularly obvious effect on improving the performance of the vehicle. The tensile strength of the spring is ~20 N/mm, the elongation is >300%, and the tear strength is >8 N/mm. The spring compressive stress rises very little, and the stress rises obviously until the deformation reaches about 35%. At this time, the deformation increases rapidly to near the maximum value, which satisfies the requirements of the stability of the automobile form and the ride comfort, and greatly improves the use of the damper. life. Some vehicles use air springs with microporous polyurethane elastomer springs to reduce the design volume and improve the driving stability of the vehicle. There are two types of microporous polyurethane elastomers for vehicles, NDI type and MDI type, depending on the type of diisocyanate used, and their main difference lies in their dynamic properties and static properties. At present, more than 90% of luxury limousines use microcellular polyurethane damping buffers, which have very high compressibility, deformability, excellent mechanical properties and outstanding dynamic fatigue resistance compared with rubber damping cushions. .

(four) PU bumper

The bumper is installed in front of the car and behind the car to cushion and reduce damage during collision. The materials used are both rigid and flexible. In recent years, new suspension structure bumpers made of microcellular polyurethane elastomers have emerged. Due to the low hardness and high compression ratio of microporous elastomers, 80% of impact energy can be absorbed by deformation, and the remaining impact energy can be transferred to the chassis. In addition, this bumper has the effect of light weight, safety, stability and silence. Because the use of polyurethane materials is more expensive, it is in Europe, the United States, Japan and China. Use it as a bumper for a premium sedan.

(5) PU airbags

The installation of airbags in automobiles is an inevitable trend in the development of the modern automobile industry and plays a major role in protecting the safety of drivers. Airbags must have a certain strength, can withstand high-speed impact, and require good low-temperature flexibility. Therefore, it is suitable for polyurethane materials. The bladder layer of the airbag is made of polyurethane elastomer, and the back is lined with polyurethane foam. It can also be used. Self-skinning polyurethane foam. Each airbag is made of 200~400 g.

(6) PU noise reduction technology

With the development of the automobile industry, as a means of transportation, people not only put high demands on their performance, but also put higher and higher requirements on their ride comfort. The noise level in the car reflects their comfort. An important indicator. In order to improve the comfort of the vehicle, the world's major automobile companies have set strict control standards for the noise level inside the vehicle, and the control of the interior noise is an important research direction. Especially for cars, the noise inside the car is one of the standards for measuring the grade of the car. The motor noise level directly reflects the quality level of the car.

Since the polyurethane foamed material has the internal structure of the porous sound absorbing material, that is, has many minute gaps and continuous bubbles, the acoustic energy is greatly affected by the internal friction of the material itself and the friction between the air and the pore walls in the pores of the material. With large absorption and attenuation, this sound absorbing material can effectively absorb the sound energy incident on it, which makes it have good high frequency sound absorption performance. Due to the action of friction and viscous force, a considerable part of the sound energy is converted into heat energy, so that the sound wave is attenuated, and the reflected sound is weakened to achieve the purpose of sound absorption; secondly, the heat exchange between the air in the small hole and the wall of the hole and the fiber is caused. The heat loss also attenuates the sound energy.

(7) Halogen-free flame retardant PU interior parts

The flame retardant properties of PU foam for automotive interiors are also an important indicator of car safety performance. Such flame retardant materials need to adopt halogen-free flame retardant technology, and have been applied in some high-end cars at home and abroad.

Conclusion

The rapid development of China's PU industry has created the necessary conditions for the ultra-high-speed development of China's automobile industry. On the contrary, China's automobile industry will greatly promote the rapid development of China's PU industry.

1. China's automobile industry is already the world's largest manufacturing and consumption country, but not a manufacturing power. The future development of China's automobile industry will gradually shift from pursuing production capacity, output and scale to paying more attention to quality and level.

2. The car's lightweight, green and comfortable, and safe, will become the future development direction of China's automotive industry materials.

3. PU materials are the key materials for achieving lightweight and plasticized automobiles.

4. TPU plastic alloy and TPU composite materials will be an important technical way for automobiles to realize plasticization.

5. Automotive interior parts PU material, PU foam plastic, PU adhesive, PU coating and PU synthetic leather must take the road of green environmental protection development.

6. PU car tires and biomass vegetable oil polyols are automotive PU green materials with great development vitality.

7. PU materials include interior parts (seat, backrest headrest), microporous PU elastomer damping pad, shock absorbing spring, bumper, airbag and PU noise reduction technology, PU flame retardant material for car comfort and safety Important technical approaches and development directions.

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