Symposium — Plastics for Truck Bodies

EXPERIENCE with new plastics for truck bodies reported by these five authors yields a complexity of pros and cons.

Among advantages claimed are:

1. 1.
   High strength-weight ratio.
2. 2.
   High impact strength and ability to absorb punishment and return to original condition without permanent damage.
3. 3.
   Ease of maintenance, repair, and cleaning.
4. 4.
   Good thermal insulation.
5. 5.
   Resistance to chemical or electrolytic attack or deterioration.
6. 6.
   Ease of bonding.
7. 7.
   Adaptability to mass production techniques.

Disappointments reported by various users include:

1. 1.
   High cost of raw materials.
2. 2.
   Low modulus of elasticity.
3. 3.
   Low endurance limit.
4. 4.
   Fractures from internal abrading of reinforcement.
5. 5.
   Weakening and failure of structures because of poor adhesion between plastic and its reinforcement.
6. 6.
   Inadequate and faulty engineering knowledge of the subject.

Agreement is general, however, that plastics for trucks have a bright future, once the many problems have been ironed out.