Motorsport Composite Fundamentals: Polyurethane
Watch This Course
$199 USD
-OR-
Or
8 easy payments of only $24.88 USD
Instant access. Easy checkout. No fees.
Polyurethane
02.03
| 00:00 | Compared to polyester and epoxy resins, which are both used with reinforcement fabrics in the construction of composite laminates, polyurethane is mostly used as a casting resin. |
| 00:11 | Casting is the process of pouring the liquid resin into a mould with an open cavity of the desired shape and allowing it to cure and solidify. |
| 00:20 | The cast part, also often called the casting, can then be ejected and removed from the mould. |
| 00:26 | While this isn't a process we'll focus on in this course, we still wanted to cover polyurethane resins for completeness. |
| 00:33 | These resins generally consist of two parts, A and B, which when combined, start the reaction and the curing process. |
| 00:41 | The resulting part has great toughness, lending itself well to impact and abrasion resistance, although generally being relatively flexible compared to the resins we've just discussed. |
| 00:53 | A skateboard or roller skate wheel is a good representation of polyurethane properties. |
| 00:59 | Polyurethane castings also have good heat, chemical and weathering resistance. |
| 01:03 | All of these properties make them suitable for parts like engine mounts, suspension bushings and exhaust hangers to name a few. |
| 01:11 | For these applications, polyurethane resins are mixed with additives such as fillers and metal powders, which is what makes them composites. |
| 01:19 | In some cases, the fillers are added to reduce the cost of the product, but also to improve the mechanical properties and modify the appearance. |
| 01:27 | Finally, it should be mentioned that polyurethane is also used for bonding composite structures together, or as a coating to provide impact or abrasion resistance. |
| 01:36 | This is due to how the polyurethane bonds well to such a wide variety of different surfaces. |
| 01:42 | In summary, polyurethane is mostly used as a casting resin with fillers and additives in the composite space. |
| 01:49 | Its great toughness lends itself to uses like engine mounts and suspension bushings, although it can also be used to bond other composite parts together, or as a surface coating. |
