MOSCOW (MRC) -- The world’s first plastic transmission crossbeam in the rear axle subframe has been developed by ContiTech Vibration Control and BASF for the S-Class from Mercedes-Benz, reported BASF on its site.
It is made from the engineering plastic Ultramid A3WG10 CR, a specialty polyamide from BASF which is particularly reinforced and optimized to withstand high mechanical loads. Compared to the previous beam made from die-cast aluminum, this highly durable component offers a weight saving of 25%, better acoustics as well as excellent mechanical properties even at high temperatures and conforms to the latest crash requirements. The design expertise of BASF’s simulation tool Ultrasim also made a major contribution to these properties.
The plastic load-bearing structural component meets all the requirements for the static and dynamic loads which act on a transmission beam: As a central component of the rear axle it supports part of the torque which is transferred from the engine to the transmission, and bears a constant share of the load of the differential. This is why the Ultramid crossbeam is used in all the vehicle designs from Mercedes-Benz with all-wheel drive, with the exception of the AMG cars.
"The new rear axle transmission crossbeam is a milestone in the use of polyamides in the chassis. It has the potential to set a new trend in the automotive industry," says Kai Fruehauf, head of the ContiTech Vibration Control business unit. “In order to replace metal with high-performance plastics, it is necessary to make optimum use of the material and adapt it to the particular load situations, as BASF has demonstrated in the development of Ultramid for the transmission crossbeam."
As MRC informed earlier, BASF’s Coatings division is now the sole supplier of automotive coatings for the new plant of the Chinese automaker Chery in Jacarei, Brazil, which started operations in August 2014. The shades that BASF will supply are red, white, black, silver and gray. Not only the metal, but also the plastic parts will be painted with BASF's technology. The supply agreement between BASF and Chery includes waterborne coatings and the cathodic e-coat CathoGuard 800.
BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of over EUR74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC