The Use of Soy Polyols in Automotive Acoustical Foams

Huntsman is a global leader in polyurethane technology for automotive applications and recognizes the use of bio-based materials as a key element of many OEM's sustainability strategies. The use of soy-based polyols in polyurethane foams was investigated for use in acoustical applications such as dash insulators and carpet underlayment. The base polyol in a typical acoustical foam was replaced with one of several soy-based polyols available on the market and tested for physical and acoustical properties. The foams were also evaluated as to the effect the soy-based polyol had on processing characteristics. The base polyol was replaced with 10% and 20% of the soy-based polyol. These foams showed some degradation of physical properties. The effect of the soy-based polyol on acoustical properties was index and frequency dependent. Some acoustical properties increased while others decreased. The processing characteristics were also affected; most notably cure time as evidenced by finger printing and thickness loss upon crushing. Overall, the foams performed well but will need additional formulation development to meet all the physical and processing properties required for dash insulator and carpet underlayment applications.