New Design Application and Material Substitution for Heavy Duty Truck Body Panels

This paper will discuss the design and development of glass reinforced reaction injection molded parts on the front end of a heavy duty C.O.E. truck which in the past have been traditionally steel or aluminum sheet metal.

The subject areas to be discussed are performance criteria for material at elevated and sub-zero temperatures, the design criteria established to take full advantage of the selected material and meet existing requirements for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards where applicable.

The final outcome of this program was the production release of the following Class “A” exterior glass reinforced urethane reaction injection molded front end panels.

• Grille Cab Front Panel
• Grille Extension Panels
• Bumper End Caps
• Air Dam