The body is one of the most the most important details car. First of all, its main qualities should include strength, relative cheapness, but at the same time it should be optimally convenient for all passengers in the car and be distinguished by style and design. Agree that these qualities are sometimes contradictory, so there is no consensus among manufacturers which of the body materials is best suited for production.
We will tell you about modern body materials and consider their pros and cons.
steel body
The steel body can be of various alloy variants, which gives completely different properties to its varieties. So, for example, sheet steel has excellent ductility, and it also allows the production of external panels of body parts, which can sometimes have a rather unusual and complex shape. It is logical that high-strength grades have a fair amount of energy and excellent strength, so this type of steel is used in the production of power body parts. It is also beneficial that throughout the automotive industry, manufacturers have managed to simplify and fine-tune the craftsmanship of manufacturing steel bodies, which makes them quite inexpensive.
It is this factor that has made steel bodies by far the most popular in the automotive market.
With all these advantages, steel still has significant drawbacks. So, for example, it is inconvenient that steel parts are not light in weight, and are also subject to corrosive processes, which forces manufacturers to use galvanizing steel parts and, in parallel, look for alternative options body materials.
aluminum body
Today, more and more often you can hear about the use of a material such as aluminum in the production of car bodies. This metal, which is popularly called "winged", is not subject to the formation of rust on the body parts, and itself aluminum body with the same strength and rigidity, it weighs 2 times less than its steel counterpart. But there are pitfalls here too.
For all its qualities, aluminum has significant disadvantage It is a good conductor of noise and vibration.
Therefore, automakers have to reinforce the body with anti-noise insulation, which ultimately leads to an increase in the cost of the car, and the metal itself is more expensive than steel. These factors contribute to the fact that the bodywork may subsequently require the use of special equipment.
As a result, all this leads to an increase in the price of the car itself. Not all manufacturers can afford a completely aluminum body, one of the few is Audi. But more often than not, you have to compromise and assemble aluminum and steel parts in one body. So, for example, in the model BMW 5th series, the entire front of the bodyshell is made of aluminum and welded to the steel frame.
plastic body
Plastic not so long ago was considered the most promising in the automotive industry. body material. It is lighter than even the aforementioned aluminum, it can be given any, even fanciful and intricate shape, and painting it is much cheaper, because it can be carried out already at the production stage using various chemical additives. And finally, this material certainly does not know what corrosion is. But plastic has many more disadvantages and they are quite significant.
Thus, the properties of plastics change under the influence of different temperatures- Frost makes plastic more brittle, and heat softens this material.
For these reasons and a number of others, it is impossible to make plastic parts that are subjected to rather high power loads; some plastic parts cannot be repaired at all, and require their complete replacement. This is what led to the fact that today only awnings, bumpers and fenders are made of plastic.
Composite body
Another type of material for the manufacture of the body are composite materials. This is a "hybrid" material, obtained from several connected together. Such production makes the composite body optimal in quality, as it combines the best of each component.
In addition, composite materials are more durable, they can be used to produce the largest and most solid parts, which undoubtedly simplifies the production itself.
Composite materials include, for example, carbon fiber, which, by the way, is used most often in production. Carbon fiber is used to make body shells for supercars.
The disadvantages of this material include the complexity of its use in the automotive industry. Sometimes manual labor is even needed, which, of course, ultimately affects the price. Another drawback is the almost impossibility of restoring carbon fiber parts after deformation during accidents. All this contributes to the fact that mass-produced cars in a carbon-fiber body are practically not produced.
Each body type has its own advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on the tastes of consumers, that is, you and me.
Good luck with your purchases and be careful!
The article uses images from the sites www.rul.ua, www.alu-cover.ru, www.tuning-ural.ruwww.torrentino.com
Not everyone can afford to change cars every few years, and even fewer people know how to buy a car that will not rust while standing on the street. Therefore, if you have already decided to save money to buy a car, then you should find out in advance what cars with a galvanized body are found. Having bought such a car in advance, you will protect yourself from the destruction of the car body. Even in 5-10 years this problem will be minimal.
Now consider what are the ways of factory galvanizing the body:
- Hot. Counts best type galvanizing. The best corrosion resistance of any car model is provided.
- Galvanic. Refers to good types galvanized. On the body it is good to lay down primer and paint after such processing.
- Zincrometal. This method provides mediocre anti-corrosion properties.
- Cold galvanized. Some car models are covered in this way. It is cheap, poorly resists corrosion.
When they appear on the body deep scratches, then zinc suffers first of all, the metal does not rust. This is the main advantage of the cars in question.
Choosing a car in a car dealership
When you look different brands cars, wandering around car dealerships, you can find out whether the body is galvanized or not, right on the spot. Take a look at the technical documentation specific model, if the term "full galvanization" is indicated there, then only in this case the entire body is coated with zinc and protected from corrosion. Consider what other processing methods exist:
- Partial. Treatment welds And vulnerabilities body (bottom, sills, doors).
- Nodal connections processing. Zinc covers only the places of stampings, fasteners, welds between sections of the body.
Also keep in mind that regardless of the car model you choose, when buying for a galvanized body, there must be warranty card. Almost all manufacturers, even Chinese ones, give a guarantee for a galvanized car body, and a fairly large one. This document gives the right to file claims against the dealer if the machine begins to rust during the warranty period.
Models of cars with a galvanized body
Now consider specific brands and models of cars with galvanized bodies. The list will turn out to be quite extensive, so we classify the machines in the same way according to the method of applying anti-corrosion material.
Hot dip galvanizing
This method was first used in the distant past by Volkswagen They still use it to this day. In addition to VW, this is how bodies are treated more Audi, Porsche, Volvo, as well as a host of other automakers. Given the cost of processing a machine in this way, it must be recalled that enough expensive models premium and business class. List of car brands model range of which there are models with a fully galvanized body using the hot method:
- Porsche (the first of the models with such a body is the famous Porsche 911).
- Audi.
- Volvo.
- Ford.
- Chevrolet (Lacetti).
- Opel (Astra and Vectra).
The first mass-produced car with a fully galvanized body was the famous Audi 80. After it, most of the cars of this company came with a mandatory anti-corrosion coating. Depending on the brand, the coating could have a thickness of 2 to 10 microns.
Galvanic processing method
Galvanic treatment of the body with zinc differs from the previous method by lower cost. More often this method is found in American and Japanese cars, a little less often in European. By reducing the cost of processing, the reliability of such processing has also significantly decreased. The coating did not give a 100% guarantee of protection. European manufacturers and decided to go their own way, using the developed new technology. List of technological operations that are carried out BMW concerns and Mercedes:
Car list
Now let's look at which cars are covered by the classic galvanic method:
- Alfa Romeo.
- Mitsubishi
- Skoda (Octavia, Fabia).
- Toyota.
- Honda (Legend).
- Lexus
- Renault (Logan).
- Peugeot.
- Chrysler (model 300).
- Cadillac.
Particularly noteworthy are models of cars from Toyota. Since the company has previously paid little attention anti-corrosion treatment, then now a layer of zinc in the nodal joints, thresholds and doors is present in most cars.
Domestic cars
In respect of domestic automotive industry everything is a little easier. If galvanized cars were produced, they were made from sheet foreign steel. At the present time, at AvtoVAZ factories, bodies are made of steel local production. Body elements are cold galvanized and then used in the assembly of the machine.
The method of cataphoresis processing is also used.
For example, delving into the technical documentation, you can find that the VAZ 2110 car has 47 galvanized parts, which make up 50% of the car's weight. Considering this, we can say that the most vulnerable parts. This includes sills, floor inside and bottom outside, front panel, fenders and door bottoms. This treatment allows you to slightly extend the life of the car.
Cars produced at the IZH plant and products of the Ulyanovsk car factory can also boast of cold galvanizing body elements. UAZ cross-country vehicles after such treatment last longer. Similar versions of cars produced earlier cannot boast of the durability that modern options machines with galvanized body.
Once upon a time, at the dawn of chemical technology, plastic parts were perceived as something frivolous and no one thought about their use in the automotive industry. Now everything is different: without the use of plastic, even the cheapest car is not produced.
It is thanks to the widespread use of plastics that cars have become much more comfortable, more technologically advanced, and more affordable. Indeed, the absence of plastic elements in the middle of the twentieth century caused a lot of inconvenience to car owners. For example, water could easily get inside the car during rain (now modern plastic seals on windows and doors protect against such troubles). On a hot day, the driver had to wear gloves so that the hard rubber steering wheel did not slip in his hands (today, modern plastics from which the steering wheel is made do not cause such inconvenience). It was usually noisy inside the car (there were no sound-absorbing composite materials widely used now), the seats were often wiped (there were no polyurethane coatings), the driver had to carry spare belts for engine elements with him (modern belts using heavy-duty plastics break much less often), and metal bumpers often bent, torn off and rusted over time (now plastic body kit vehicle is stronger and more durable).
If in the 1950s and 1960s medium car contained only about ten kilograms of plastic, then in modern car up to 100-150 kilograms of plastic materials will be accumulated, which can be found everywhere in the design: in the suspension, in the engine, in electrical wiring, on the body, in the interior trim. Advantages plastic parts for automotive technologists are obvious: they are durable, do not suffer from rust, while their strength is often not inferior to steel. In addition, plastics are lightweight, which means that they can significantly reduce the weight of the car, increase its dynamic characteristics and, which is very important now, reduce fuel consumption. Still plastics are more affordable than some expensive items from of stainless steel or non-ferrous metals. Finally, they are easier to work with and can be used to produce unusual shapes and colors, which is very attractive to automotive designers.
To replace steel
In the advance of plastic on automotive industry leading positions for German companies. In the middle of the 20th century, large German chemical concerns began to actively develop plastic materials that could be used in the manufacture of automobiles. Moreover, it was the German companies who were the first to decide to make the car entirely out of plastic. This possibility was announced in the early 1960s by experts from Bayer MaterialScience, a division of the largest German chemical and pharmaceutical concern Bayer AG. They suggested using a structure made of the so-called polyurethane sandwich for the supporting base of the body - a plastic material that turned out to be little susceptible to external influences. In the spring of 1967, such a body was first presented at the Hanover Industrial Exhibition. And already in the fall, by the beginning of the K-1967 exhibition, solutions were found for manufacturing the roof, hood, fenders, shock absorber and other body parts from polymer materials. For interior decoration car technologists also picked up suitable plastics.
This is how the first "plastic car" LEV-K-67 appeared. He officially received a license plate and was certified for use on the roads. common use. It is noteworthy that so far this car has been tested on the track and, among other things, meets all safety requirements. And since 1978, the LEV-K-67 model has taken a place in the "Transport" section of the famous Munich Deutsches Museum as good example successful use of plastics in the automotive industry.
The technological ideas that originated in the LEV-K-67 model received further development. For example, while working on a project, Bayer technologists developed a special material for car seats based on molded polyurethane. Later it began to be applied to Volkswagen cars. Prior to this, chairs were made from rubber fiber - a natural material combined with latex, less strong and durable. New chairs relieved motorists of these inconveniences.
A great resonance in the automotive industry was also caused by the appearance of Bayflex elastic foam, which was first used for the production of armrests in popular model Volkswagen Beetle("Bug"). It opened up the opportunity for automakers to create pleasant to the touch plastic elements in the cabin. Bayflex began to be actively used in the production of bumpers. In 1969, Porsche was one of the first to introduce plastic bumpers - the protective elements on the car body did not bend with small blows and did not come off during unsuccessful maneuvers. Over time, all world manufacturers began to produce plastic bumpers.
And polyurethane foam generally made a small revolution. On Volkswagen cars, for the first time, they began to fill the empty spaces of the body with this material, which reduced the risk of corrosion and at times the noise level.
Since the 1970s, all the world's automakers have been well aware of such plastic materials from Germany as Leguval, Novodur, Pocan, Bayblend, Durethan, Makrolon, Baydur, Bayflex, Termaloy. Of these, they begin to actively produce radiator grilles, moldings, rear lights, door details, door handles, exterior mirrors, wheel covers, headlights, instrument panels, wipers and many other car parts.
Completely plastic
Leading German chemical companies are currently working on expanding the presence of plastic materials in the car. Bayer MaterialScience alone annually invests 240 million euros in such research. These funds are used to create new types of plastic materials with unique consumer properties.
Great hopes today are associated with technologies for integrating carbon nanoparticles into some types of plastic. The result is plastics with unique electrical conductivity properties, making them more widely used in various details engine and electronic systems.
Plastics have been developed that are very resistant to aggressive external influences, for example, to very hot engine oil. This makes it possible to use plastic materials for transmission controls and other engine and transmission parts that come into contact with hot oils and where heat resistance characteristics are critical.
Top of the dreams of plastics developers - all-plastic body stock car. Today, many automakers are already making some models from plastic cases. However, heavy-duty composite materials are still expensive pleasure, and only expensive ones have the right to receive such a body small-scale cars, for example, premium sports cars that, thanks to their light weight, can reach impressive speeds on the road. But in the future, technologists hope to reduce the cost of plastic production so that the mass production of plastic bodies becomes a reality.
Those who doubt that machines made of plastic can be even stronger than those made of steel can be advised to get acquainted with the developments Porsche. Back in 1986, at the K-1986 exhibition in Düsseldorf, this automaker demonstrated to visitors a new plastic body. Those wishing to test its strength could press the button, and the body with great strength immediately hit the wall. During the exhibition, the plastic car was subjected to such a "crash test" countless times and at the same time remained absolutely safe and sound.
In 1942, the world's first plastic car was created. As planned by Henry Ford, this car was supposed to be lighter and cheaper than a car with a metal body. Due to objective reasons, such cars did not become popular, but this does not prevent auto manufacturers from presenting plastic concepts. And in today's review, we will show you eight of the most interesting cars from plastic.
(8 photos of plastic cars)
The world's first plastic car - Soybean Car.
During the Second World War, a huge part of the metal produced in the world went to the military. This was the root cause for the appearance of the first plastic car - Soybean Car. Naturally, most of the parts of this car were made of metal, but the device included mostly bioplastic elements, which reduced the weight of the car by four times.
First mass-produced plastic car - Chevrolet Corvette (C1)
In 1953, the first plastic car was mass-produced - Chevrolet Corvette. The basis of this car was metal, and the body part was made of fiberglass. In total, 300 copies of such a car were created.
The first plastic car in the history of Russia - HADI-2
In 1961, students of the Kharkov Road Institute was car invented made of plastic, which received the experimental name HADI-2. The entire car was approximately 500 kg.
The most famous plastic car in the world is the Trabant.
This car was created in the GDR. Due to the small size and constant breakdowns, this car was German experts who knew a lot about good cars were simply ridiculed. About three million Trabant cars were produced.
Advantage of the German chemical industry - Bayer K67
In 1967, a car created by BMW and the Bayer chemical company was introduced to the public. At the demonstration show, the K67 crashed into the wall several times, while its frame remained without visible damage.
Russian car made of plastic - Yo-mobile
The domestic auto industry is not far behind in the creation of plastic cars. The mass creation of a plastic car with the cheerful name Yo-Mobile has already begun. The body of this car is made of polypropylene and plastic, and some parts can be changed, for example, in case of an accident or just when you want.
Plastic cars from children's LEGO constructor
Many jokers, criticizing plastic cars, call them toys and say that such vehicles can generally be assembled from LEGO constructor. Despite the grins, two young engineers, one from Romania and the other from Australia, together created a full-size car from half a million LEGO parts. It is noteworthy that instead of the engine, this LEGO car has a pneumatic motor.
When developing most car models, designers are guided by general principles: compactness, lightness, economy. Special meaning given to weight reduction, because the weight in one way or another affects all the performance of the car, especially fuel consumption.
The Porsche 959 has aluminum alloy doors and hood, polyurethane bumpers and an epoxy compound reinforced with Kevlar and fiberglass fibers.
However, no matter how hard the engineers in the fight against extra pounds, the introduction of various new devices - catalytic converter exhaust gases, anti-lock, anti-slip and other systems, air conditioning, power steering, power windows, etc., nullifies all their efforts. If the “first” VW Golf in 1974 weighed a little more than 750 kg, then its successor gained almost a centner in weight. Golf III in 1992, it was already pulling a ton, and the fourth generation of these cars added another 200 kg to the result of its predecessor. Where can economical fuel consumption come from if, in order to give acceptable dynamic Golf characteristics“number 4” required much more powerful (and again heavy) motors?
The fact that the body of the McLaren F1 is made of composite materials can be seen from the results of the accident, which gave this "treasure" worth $ 1 million by its owner
The way out is seen in more wide application plastics and light alloys. Back in the mid-1980s, analysts predicted that by 2001 the share of steel parts in the total mass of a car would drop to 50-55%. But this did not happen, although it should be recognized that against the previous fifty kilograms of plastics, which were mainly used for the manufacture of interior components and electrical insulating parts, today the number of non-metallic parts in weight ratio exceeds 100, and on some models even 150 kg.
EVERYONE VERY WANTS, BUT YET CAN'T VERY
Plastics have a hard time making their way. One of the first parts made of plastic was the bumper, but plastic bumpers did not owe their appearance to cars. technical merit, and the entry into force of US collision damage regulations on low speeds. And only when american cars In 1968, 40,000 fine-meshed polyurethane bumpers were installed, engineers “remembered” that resilient plastic bumpers also have advantages in reducing weight, give full freedom for design creativity, improve aerodynamics and, finally, are easily repaired after damage. In 1974, plastic bumpers received already 800 thousand, and in 1980 - more than 4.5 million cars manufactured in the United States.
You won’t surprise anyone with plastic lining of the interior for a long time. However, today vegetable raw materials are increasingly used as a bulk filler for these parts.
What are the barriers to wider and faster adoption body parts from plastics on cars? Indicative in this regard are the studies that Opel conducted in preparation for production. sports coupe Caliber. It was assumed that the Calibra body would be built on the basis of a steel space frame, which is lined with plastic panels. This would allow, according to automotive fashion, to make significant adjustments to the body design every three to four years, without fundamentally changing the entire technological process machine manufacturing. However, upon careful analysis, it turned out that at the scale that was planned to produce Calibra, the cost of manufacturing a plastic version of this car would be 15% higher than versions with an all-metal body. Plus, there were serious difficulties with the disposal of automotive scrap.
Almost forgotten today, the Gordon-Keeble (left) with a fiberglass body made a lot of noise in 1964. It could have been great, but the high production costs associated with maintaining a high-class racing team ruined it. But the plastic Chevrolet Corvette (on the right) produced at the same time proved its right to exist.
However, the recycling of plastic is a solvable matter, and in fact a lot, if not all, depends on the volume of car production. If the level of production of a model does not exceed 2-3 thousand pieces per month, then due to the high cost of manufacturing stamps, sheet metal used to manufacture a body turns out to be more expensive than plastic panels. That's when it makes sense to bet on plastic, but with more mass production economic advantage appears at the steel sheet. And although examples of plastic Trabant, Renault Espace and the Chevrolet Corvette, produced in the hundreds of thousands, seem to prove otherwise, yet we are talking more about exceptions to the rule.
The imperfection of the technology of molding large-sized plastic panels, as well as parts with increased structural resistance in accordance with shockproof standards, does not allow expanding the use of non-metallic materials. Models Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, which can rightfully be called plastic, were produced piece by piece, which justifies the use of expensive and difficult-to-manufacture composite materials in them. Such cars have become legendary, but they cannot serve as an example for large-scale production.
IS A PLASTIC ENGINE POSSIBLE
IN engine compartment The car leaves even fewer opportunities for enthusiasts to use plastics. Therefore, the year 1974 is still remembered as a revolution, when Volkswagen used fiberglass-reinforced nylon for the first time on the Passat model for the production of radiator tanks. Then came the turn of fans made of thermosetting polymers - because they weigh less than metal ones, they are performed in one stamping operation, they do not require subsequent machining and balancing. Today, many parts located under the hood of a car are already made of plastic, but their weight fraction from total weight plastics used in the automotive industry still does not exceed 15-20%.
Ferrari F40 and its body made entirely from a combination of Kevlar and carbon fibers
Of course, it is difficult for plastics to compete with traditional materials in the field of load-bearing parts. And the problem is not in terms of strength, but in the same high manufacturing cost. But there are positive experiences. Rear suspension The Chevrolet Corvette is equipped with a transverse plastic spring, which successfully copes with its duties and at the same time weighs only 3.6 kg instead of 19 kg if it were made of steel.
However, is a plastic engine possible? The American firm Polimotor answered this question in the affirmative. Cylinder head and block, oil pan, intake manifold and a number of other parts of the 4-cylinder power unit, developed by Polimotor, are made of phenol plastic, a plastic that has high resistance to compression and bending even at temperatures above 2000C and is able to maintain chemical stability in the presence of gasoline, oil, ethylene glycol and water. From metal in this motor, only cylinder liners, crankshaft and camshafts, exhaust valves and timing springs. The use of plastic has resulted in a 60% weight savings and a 15% reduction in running engine noise. About mass production plastic engine it's too early to say, but the very fact of the existence of such a motor inspires a certain optimism.
PLASTIC BEAR
Last summer, the media reported that BelAZ had acquired a license from the Russian ACM Holding (formerly the Ministry of Automobile and Agricultural Engineering) to manufacture the Mishka microcar. The Mishka design is based on a prefabricated-modular scheme, in which plastic panels are hung on a low-alloy steel frame. The car has a removable rear cap, which, at the request of the owner, provides a quick transformation right into the garage of a four-seat station wagon, which is basic version“Bears”, in a pickup truck, van, convertible or landau (isn't this, by the way, what Opel wanted when developing the Calibra?).
In the structure of the “Mishka” body, plastic panels are hung on the steel frame
At one time, justifying the economic feasibility of the Mishka, ACM Holding calculated that the project would be profitable with an annual production of 10,000 of these vehicles. Such a volume is quite consistent with the above 2-3 thousand pieces per month, which allows us to believe in the payback of "Mishka". However, the question is whether even such a small number of "clubfoot" is able to master the Belarusian automotive market, we leave it open, although it depends on whether Belarus will be able to produce its own a car and also plastic.
Sergei BOYARSKIKH
