Huntsman joins EU R&D project exploring new composites for automotive applications

27-Jul-2011 - Belgium

The polyurethanes division of Huntsman Corporation announces its involvement in an ambitious European collaborative research project focused on advancing composite materials technology, to bring it closer to mass-production for automotive applications.

HIVOCOMP is a consortium of automotive manufacturers, materials scientists and academics that have joined forces to increase the use of composite materials in the production of vehicles. HIVOCOMP stands for: advanced materials enabling HIgh-VOlume road transport applications of lightweight structural COMPosite parts.

Project partners include three large automotive OEMs (VW, Daimler, Fiat Research Center); luggage manufacturer Samsonite; highly specialised suppliers in the field of composite materials and their application; and six leading universities at the cutting edge of composite materials research in Europe.

Over four years, HIVOCOMP partners will work together to significantly speed up the composites production process, a key factor for the establishment of plastics in the commercial vehicles market. They will develop two material systems that show unique promise for cost-effective, high-volume production of high performance carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts: advanced polyurethane (PU) thermoset matrix materials; and thermoplastic PP- and PA6-based self-reinforced polymer composites with continuous carbon fibre reinforcements.

The performance, production cost and recyclability of new CFRP material systems will be thoroughly tested and benchmarked to ensure the results reach and exceed cost, safety and environmental targets. Validated demonstrator parts will be produced in 2013.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/133708/huntsman-joins-eu-r-d-project-exploring-new-composites-for-automotive-applications.html