Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,678,849 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

PP 'Strand Foam' Sheet Absorbs More Impact.


Strandfoam, a proprietary directional foam commercialized by Dow Automotive in Auburn Hills, Mich., is a new type of energy-absorbing foam for auto headliners, interior door panels, pillar trim, ankle bolsters, and steering-column covers. It's made by extruding foamed strands of high-melt-strength polypropylene polypropylene (pŏl'ēprō`pəlēn), plastic noted for its light weight, being less dense than water; it is a polymer of propylene. It resists moisture, oils, and solvents. , merging them into a block, then slicing the block cross-wise into sheet. The sheet is then thermoformed using vacuum, pressure, or matched-metal tools.

The result is a honeycomb honeycomb

a mosaic of closely packed units with depressed centers giving a honeycomb appearance.


honeycomb ringworm
see favus.

honeycomb stomach
reticulum.
 foam that reportedly absorbs more impact than conventional bead bead

Small object, usually pierced for stringing. It may be made of virtually any material—wood, shell, bone, seed, nut, metal, stone, glass, or plastic—and is worn or affixed to another object for decorative or, in some cultures, magical purposes.
 or urethane urethane (yoor´ithān´),
n ethyl carbamate used as an anesthetic agent for laboratory animals, formerly used as a hypnotic in humans.
 foams because it compresses, buckles, and fractures along the strands. That means Strandfoam can be used at half the thickness of conventional foams to provide the same cushioning effect.

The first commercial use of Strandfoam is in 0.5-in.-thick sheet, glued to the back of headliners on 2000 and 2001 model Dodge and Plymouth Neons. Dow makes Strandfoam sheet from 2 to 4 pcf at its Hanging Rock plant near Granville, Ohio Granville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States, founded by settlers from Granville, Massachusetts, a town of which it now has three times the population. The population was 3,167 at the 2000 census. Granville is home to Denison University. . Trials are now under way for car pillar trim.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gardner Publications, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2000, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:polypropylene used for Dow Automotive Materials Div. foam
Comment:PP 'Strand Foam' Sheet Absorbs More Impact.(polypropylene used for Dow Automotive Materials Div. foam)
Publication:Plastics Technology
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Jun 1, 2000
Words:163
Previous Article:Novel S-Shaped Die Is Key to Flexibility.(Blue Diamond Plastics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Next Article:New Catalyst Improves DCPD RIM Processing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Topics:



Related Articles
Microcellular foams: lots of R&D, but little commercial action yet.
SAE highlights new automotive plastics materials and technology. (Society of Automotive Engineers)
Blowing agents for thermoplastics: endothermics on the rise. (includes related article)
Seven 'firsts' for automotive plastics.; they trim weight and costs.
Coextrusion Adds Shine to PP For Thermoforming Large Parts.(Statistical Data Included)
BLOWING AGENTS.(Brief Article)
Acknowledging innovation. (Automotive Observations).(Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Div. awards)(Brief Article)
PP is on a fast track in automotive. (Outlook).(polypropylene)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
NPE: toward the plastic car.(WIP, National Plastics Exposition )
High-melt-strength PP makes softer, lighter foams.(MATERIALS: Close-Up)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles