Nanocomposites attract as alternative on '04 Chevrolet Impala
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February 09, 2004 12:00 AM

Nanocomposites attract as alternative on '04 Chevrolet Impala

Rhoda Miel
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    DETROIT - General Motors is jump-starting its use of nanocomposites, planning to employ an estimated 500,000 pounds of a thermoplastic polyolefin with nanometer-sized filler on exterior trim in its best-selling car. A nanometer is one-billonth of a meter.

    The composite will be used on as many as 200,000 2004 model year Chevrolet Impalas - a big move up from its first automotive appearance, in fewer than 10,000 optional minivan step-assists.

    "We needed a small-volume application to start with, but that gave us the confidence going forward," says William Rodgers, a research scientist for GM's nanocomposites group. "Now we're talking about real commercial volumes."

    The body side molding on the 2004 Impala went into production last year - about 18 months after the material first was used in the steps on GMC Safari and Chevrolet Astro vans.

    The nanocomposite study teamed GM researchers with those from Basell Polyolefins-Automotive and Southern Clay Products Inc. to produce a thermoplastic using reinforcements on the microscopic level.

    The minute particles of the clay additive measure one-millionth of a millimeter thick, allowing for a lighter final component.

    "We have much higher reinforcement properties because the action is taking place at the molecular scale," said Alan Taub, executive director of GM's Research and Development Science Labs in Warren, Mich.

    The development team had to tweak the formula as it moved from the step-assist to the side molding, in part to compensate for the color in nanocomposites compared with standard talc-filled material, Rodgers says.

    GM must continue adjusting, to adapt for shrinkage rates in trim that will be painted in the assembly plant along with the rest of the vehicle. Other refinements will be needed to prepare the material for interior use, he says.

    7% lighter

    The material is 7 percent lighter than standard reinforced components - a slight savings on a narrow body molding, but one that will come into play more as nanocomposites make it onto bigger parts such as bumper fascia.

    "The driver has been weight and surface appearance," says Jeff Leone, senior vice president of Basell Polyolefins-Automotive.

    Basell is compounding the resin, molded at Blackhawk Automotive Plastics, on production lines in Jackson, Tenn. While the material is new for GM and its development partners, Karl Kamena, commercial manager for Southern Clay in Gonzales, Texas, says that with each use, the future of nanocomposites improves.

    'A very significant step'

    "The more visible the application, the more exciting it is," Kamena says. "This is a very significant step forward."

    Taub says GM and its researchers still are discovering opportunities within nanocomposites.

    "We are going to concentrate, and you'll see a series of applications going forward," Taub says. "Logistical and technical issues are there, but we are well on the way to solving them. Materials are an enabler for our industry."

    Rhoda Miel is a staff reporter for Plastics News, a sister publication to Automotive News.

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