MOSCOW (MRC) -- The world's first thermoplastic oil tank for dry sump engines has now been developed by Hummel-Formen, a brand by ElringKlinger AG at Lenningen, Germany, sai BASF in its press release.
The reservoir, which weighs around 2.6kg, is made from Ultramid A3WG7, a BASF polyamide 66 with 35% glass fiber reinforcement which is resistant to oil and thermal aging. The tank is therefore 59 percent lighter than previous steel or aluminum welding constructions and has an improved, multi-functional oil separation system which is integrated in the tank. The complex plastic component is used in the new Mercedes-AMG GT, which has been available since spring 2015 and is the second car that AMG has developed itself.
The oil reservoir is noted for its ingenious geometry: It comprises ten different, injection-molded polyamide parts, which are joined together with 13 further elements like sensors, sieves, covers and screws to form one component. This is done by vibration welding and various snap-in mechanisms. By optimally using the available space, a lot of different functions could be integrated: Apart from the mere storage of the oil, the component deals with the ventilation of the crankcase including the oil separation, makes possible the filling and changing of the oil as well as controlling the oil level and its quality. Furthermore, it also slows down and roughly filters the incoming oil.
The Ultramid used shows high resistance to oil and corrosion, is thermally stable up to 180°C (for short periods even up to 240°C) and contributes to a favorable vibration and acoustic behavior because of its high damping and stiffness. This means that the plastic oil tank is considerably quieter than metallic versions. The tried-and-tested PA66 also displays the rigidity required for this application and necessary to withstand the requested burst pressures.
The bigger engineering effort provides among other things better driving dynamics for the Mercedes-AMG GT: The vehicle has a lower center of gravity, therefore sits better on the road and reaches higher speeds around bends.
As MRC informed earlier, in July 2015, 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.
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.
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