The need for low mass composites in the transportation industry has intensified as OEM's have looked for ways to reduce vehicle weight in the face of rising oil prices,increasing regulation,and olitical unrest in the major oil producing countries.Low mass SMC is not a new concept and has been practiced in the industry for several years. However the limitations of traditional low mass technology have restricted its use to specific applications. The combination of properties to produce low mass Class A SMC without glass microspheres while maintaining the required mechanical and physical properties has not been available.With the introduction of tough SMC technologies in the last few years,molders as well as OEM'S are demanding this technology for future applications to benefit from the performance advantages they bring. This paper will report on recent developments in tough,low mass Class A SMC that achieve a specific gravity of 1.6 and are more robust to molding conditions and exhibit lower water absorption properties than previous developments. Technology and properties of tough,low mass structural SMC with a specific gravity of 1.15 and 1.5 will also be discussed with emphasis on improved mechanical properties as compared to traditional low mass SMC.
展开▼
