To expand the scope of parts in which recycled bumper materials can be used, methods were developed to modify the properties of the materials to enable adaptation to the requirements demanded in the individual parts. The parts targeted in the research were 1) Aerial under cover; 2) Side spacer; 3) Evaporator case; 4) Rear shelf; and 5) Floor carpet. The following methods were used to modify the properties of the material for the respective parts: 1) Fluidity was improved through addition of constituents with low molecular weight; 2) Flexural strength was improved by addition of constituents to chemically bond filler and matrix resin; 3) Shrinkage performance was improved and flexural modulus was increased by addition of filler and resin with high flexural modulus; 4) Flexural modulus was increased by addition of filler; 5) Tensile elongation was improved by addition of an elastomer compatibilizer. In each case, these methods enabled the use of recycled materials at an equivalent cost to virgin materials.
Article of Honda R&D Technical Review Vol.15 No.1 (227 - 232)