×
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

Solar Panel Installation Accesories (ABS+PC)?
2

Solar Panel Installation Accesories (ABS+PC)?

Solar Panel Installation Accesories (ABS+PC)?

(OP)
Hello,

I'm working on a project that requires plastic nuts made from plastic material which can withstand UV exposure, temperature fluctuation, and mild impact for 20 years and above. The nuts will be inserted to upper and bottom zinc plate to hold them in place for solar panel installation. I was planning to use ABS+PC, but after refering to many previous posts regarding the low UV resistance strength of ABS+PC , I am now looking for a new cost-effective material. Styrosun (NovaChem) and Rynite (Dupont) are too expensive for my application. Any suggestion? Thank you.

RE: Solar Panel Installation Accesories (ABS+PC)?

PVC. Cheap, great UV stability (used for siding) and inherently flame retardant.

All the best,

Chris

Chris DeArmitt PhD FRSC CChem

RE: Solar Panel Installation Accesories (ABS+PC)?

No argument with PVC if it has the temperature and mechanical properties required.

I still like GF PET. If Rynite is to expensive there are other sources. Some based on reclaimed bottles. PET is VERY good to UV, can be further improved with UV stabilisers and certain UV opaque pigments like carbon black or TiO2. Glass fibre greatly increases physical properties like creep, tensile, shear and heat deflection as well as stopping cracks from propagating from micro cracks on the surface from UV damage.

ASA also overcomes the problems of UV resistance inherent in ABS but is somewhat more expensive, but PC/ABS or PC/ASA is normally mostly PC anyway and I would have thought it was at least as expensive as PET.

Nylons if no water present. Zinc chloride from zinc and salt or chlorinated water can sometimes attack nylons so the presence of zinc and water is a risk. Once again, glass fibre helps .

PMMA or acrylic? Perfect to UV and good mechanicals except for VERY low elongation at break which is seen as poor impact. Probably pretty risky.

Mineral filled PP with a thin acrylic snap fit cover to protect from UV. Are two cheap parts more expensive than one expensive one? Would a fragile cover stay in place?



 

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &
http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm
for site rules
 

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