Petrochemical Applications in Automobile industry

Petrochemical applications in the Automobile industry are vast. The modern automobile industry is highly dependent on the petrochemical products for the manufacturing of the automobiles. The modern day automobiles like cars, buses and trucks, etc all contain a good amount of parts manufactured from petrochemical intermediaries.

The properties like flexibility in designing, light weight, durability has popularized the use of these petrochemical composites in automobiles. Parts of the body, tires, interiors, dashboard, etc is made out of petrochemical intermediates. The Automobile Industry is totally transformed with the increasing usage of the petrochemical based composite materials.

The uses of petrochemical composites in Automobile Industry:-

• Polymers are used for making body parts, interiors, dashboards, speedometer dials, steering wheels, lock handles, armrests, etc
• Polyurethane Foam(PUF) is used as an insulation
• High Density Polyethylene(HDP) is used for making the impregnable fuel tanks to prevent fires
• Synthetic Rubber is used for the tires for better grip on roads. It is also used as the window lining
• Phenolic Resins are used as a friction material in brakes and clutches
• Styrenic plastics are used for seats to withstand accidents
• Ethylene glycol is used as an anti-freeze for automobiles
• Lubricating oil made from heavy hydrocarbons for various moving parts of the automobile
• Paints for the body
• Various small but important parts made of polymers, synthetic rubber, etc.
• Transparent fiber glass windows which would not shatter in case of an impact unlike the glass counterparts

The advantages of using petrochemical intermediaries in Automobile Industry:-

• Reduction in weight, so there is less fuel consumption which in turn helps in pollution control
• The ease in processing helps in cutting down assembling time
• Safety of the automobile is enhanced with the use of special kind of materials
• Designing feasibility and experimentation with different designs. It can be transformed into any kind of shape
• Reduction in assembling time, which in turn helps in cutting down costs

Last Updated on 13 December 2011