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DuPont Performance Polymers (Geneva) has developed an innovative automotive jounce bumper component incorporating a blowmolded thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to exhibit how design, materials and processing can converge to deliver added performance and lower cost.

PlasticsToday Staff

November 8, 2012

2 Min Read
TPE reduces NVH in autos

DuPont Performance Polymers (Geneva) has developed an innovative automotive jounce bumper component incorporating a blowmolded thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to exhibit how design, materials and processing can converge to deliver added performance and lower cost.

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Blowmoldable TPE helps to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) in vehicles.

The featured jounce bumper is part of a vehicle's shock-absorber system designed to absorb impact and dampen noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). DuPont, working with a team from injection blowmolding machine builder and processor Ossberger (Weissenburg, Germany), capitalized on the flexibility attributes of DuPont Hytrel TPE and a unique Ossberger blowmolding technology to simplify the component from four pieces that require subassembly to a single piece. This alone significantly reduced cost and size and improved performance.

"Materials are critical in component design and the best results happen when the three primary phases in product development—design, materials and processing—converge," said Patrick Cazuc, automotive director Europe, DuPont Performance Polymers.

In developing this component, DuPont worked on design, using non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) techniques and specialist software, as well as processing, including rapid prototyping and laboratory testing at the DuPont European Technical Centre. By using an Ossberger injection blowmolding machine, the thickness profile was tightly controlled, facilitating optimum energy-absorbing properties with a maximum compression ratio.

The Hytrel-based jounce bumpers have been tested by automakers on a variety of vehicles over tens of thousands of kilometers. According to an independent vehicle testing institute: "Jounce bumpers of Hytrel bring higher comfort and steering feedback, together with better road handling compared to polyurethane (PU) parts. Wheel rebound also is reduced with higher attenuation of low impacts. The front axis roll angle also is reduced."

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