Solvay fiberglass reinforced ixef para for new clutch designs

Solvay is a leading supplier of specialty polymers and announced at the recent International CTI Symposium its Ixef 1027 Aromatic Polyamide (PARA) for the development of the new clutch actuator system of the FTE Automotive Group, the FTE Automotive Group A major producer of powertrain and brake system components.

The company reports that glass-filled polyamide (PA) 6/6 actuators generate cab noise at high temperatures, and the choice of Ixef 1027 PARA instead of this actuator material can result in lower thermal expansion for new actuator designs. And with higher dimensional stability, these designs are now available in the advanced heavy duty diesel truck range that is available in the United States.

FTE and its customers have managed to reduce noise in every generation of manual transmissions. Ironically, this has made some relatively quiet functional areas more and more eye-catching in recent models. The clutch pedal or its activated hydraulic actuator system has become the latest improvement target.

The actuator includes a master cylinder having a piston that connects the pedals and a slave cylinder that is coupled to the truck drive train. Depressing the clutch pedal transfers brake fluid from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder and then disengages the transmission from the engine.

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Solvay and FTE have been working together for more than 20 years and they have chosen Ixef 1027 PARA, a 50% glass fiber reinforced thermostable composite with very high strength and stiffness and excellent creep resistance.

The company explained: "This material is very fluid and well-filled in the mold, providing a very smooth resin-rich surface for the inner bore of the molded clutch cylinder. The aromatic ring structure of the PARA molecule is similar to that of conventional nylon. The opposite of the straight chain greatly reduces the hygroscopicity, making the size of the clutch cylinder more stable.