×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Best type of material for my auto project???

Best type of material for my auto project???

Best type of material for my auto project???

(OP)
I want to have some custom suspention bushings made for a high performance car. They will be used in the upper and lower front control arms and will be subject to heavy loads. Durability, reliability, and chemical resistence are important. I have founds sources for blocks of several kinds of material that I could have machined locally.

Thanks,

S.O.

RE: Best type of material for my auto project???

Some plastics that could be considered are:-
Polyurethane
Cross linkable Polyethylene or XLPE
Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene UHMWPE
Low Density Polyethylene LDPE
High Density Polyethylene HDPE
Nylon or Nylatron or Zytel or PA6 or PA66
Acetal or Delrin or Celcon or POM

They are listed from the most compliant to the hardest.

Durability ranking will be dependant on the mode of failure. If they fail by pounding out, the hardest ones will most probably be the most durable, unless the suspension operates in a bind, and then the extra compliance of the softer ones will help to reduce the point pressures.

If they fail by melting, the nylon will be the most durable.

If they wear due to inclusion of dirt, the softest ones will be the most durable.

The softest ones will give the quietest most isolated ride, but the hardest ones will give the most accurate suspension control.

The final choice will depend on a complex compromise considering bearing area vs load, surface speed, compliance required, compliance (or lack thereof) desired, environment of operation, life expectancy.

Regards
pat   pprimmer@acay.com.au
eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Best type of material for my auto project???

(OP)
Thanks Pat and Cory. This will at least get me on my way.

S.O.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources