Development of a Thermoplastic Cam Cover for a 4.0L V6 SOHC Engine

The increasing demands to reduce cost is forcing North American Automotive designers towards finding ways to use the thermoplastic material for the under hood components. The use of this material has often been avoided in this type of applications due to concerns around its long-term strength and temperature performance. In particular, the materials of choice for the engine cam cover are Aluminum, Magnesium and Vinyl Ester (Thermoset) although thermoplastic is widely used in Europe and Asia.

This paper examines the potential of a thermoplastic cam cover designed to replace the thermoset cam cover in a 4.0L SOHC V6 engine. Experimental data, presented in this paper, demonstrate that a well-designed thermoplastic cam cover can achieve key functional requirements, such as NVH and sealing, while providing substantial cost saving.