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GM Is Gluing Its New Cars Together to Save Weight

muddkatt

By muddkatt
in Future GM News & Rumors

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muddkatt Senior Enthusiast

muddkatt

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The unconventional construction means the new Acadia is 700 pounds lighter.

 

Gluing a car together might seem like a dangerous way to reduce weight, but it turns out that the practice of using advanced adhesives to construct vehicles is not so new. The Boeing Dreamliner airplanes have used a kind of super-superglue since 2009. The epoxy resin and carbon fiber-infused plastic used to make the airplane's shell are two of the reasons why these aircraft have done so well commercially. They require less maintenance and, because they're lighter, less fuel.

 

Here's how it works: carbon fiber is treated at a very high heat and infused with epoxy resin. This creates a composite plastic that is tough and light. The end result of this process is something that looks a lot like black duct tape. Layers of this tape are laid on top of each other by a robot, often wrapped around a molding, until they've formed an aircraft component. Then, the new part is popped into an autoclave to harden further.

 

Now, General Motors is taking this idea and applying it to their cars. Though it's unclear if GM is using the exact same method as the Boeing Dreamliners, making use of intense glue and lighter materials creates a similar result. The toughness of the materials means that on their newest Acadia, GM cut down slightly on the amount of steel used in the cars construction. Though the difference in size may seem tiny (the new steel is about one human hair's width thinner than the old parts), it adds up to a huge difference in weight. The new Acadia is a full 700 pounds lighter than the previous version. This unburdening also means that the car is significantly more efficient. The new version gets 23 miles per gallon of gas, up from 18 miles per gallon before. It seems this superglue is nothing to sniff at.

 

 

 

source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a22310/gm-cars-glue/

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Senior Enthusiast

Chris

Posted
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This really isnt new. Thats how step side beds were held together. I have seen things on aircraft work that i would have never thought. GM can save weight with epoxy and duct tape

barry G Senior Enthusiast

barry G

Posted
Posted

they could use inventive words.

 

I was one that screwed down hundreds of screws for many pieces of plywood wrapped in special paint for old kc135.

 

several of us exposed to a process got very sick.. it was a killer. New painted floors.

 

that stuff was primitive, and still worked..it was riding the pores of natural wood.

 

the new stuff has a carbon depth made from oil polymers to begin with..that is the "carbon fiber", the "epoxy resin" is the filler of void the polymer fiber demands, hence the strength. Premeditated bond down to near atomics.

 

they really could have invented words for their new stuff.

Sounds scary to hear carbon fiber (origin unknown) to epoxy reson (also never works for regular people stuff from a car store).

 

I'd trust it, as urethane is found in nature holding objects millions of years old.

man knows how to make it.

 

that leads to another point. Steel would be just fine if we were allowed the strength of the paint vapors in public (VOC levels)

 

whatever.. it is future, and their will be fails, assuming not many.

muddkatt Senior Enthusiast

muddkatt

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I found it interesting at how much weight that was saved by using the glue. Ford saved about the same weight on the F150's by switching to aluminum.

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

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Posted

I found it interesting at how much weight that was saved by using the glue. Ford saved about the same weight on the F150's by switching to aluminum.

 

 

They didn't save 700 lbs by switching to glue. The new Acadia is a smaller vehicle, by a fair amount. That's where the weight came off.

muddkatt Senior Enthusiast

muddkatt

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They didn't save 700 lbs by switching to glue. The new Acadia is a smaller vehicle, by a fair amount. That's where the weight came off.

 

Well the article mentioned nothing about downsizing....typical of the news articles today.

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

 

Well the article mentioned nothing about downsizing....typical of the news articles today.

 

 

Yeah unfortunately no one bothers to get all the facts. As for weight savings at Ford, they may have shaved off the pounds but what no one will admit is by doing that they only got their trucks to weigh about what a similar GM truck weighs. The F-150 has been the fat kid since the 2004 redesign.

muddkatt Senior Enthusiast

muddkatt

Posted
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Speaking of Ford and the structural glue, here is a photo the Mrs found on FB.

 

13729146_634952203331065_295709998547181

Chris Senior Enthusiast

Chris

Posted
Posted

Speaking of Ford and the structural glue, here is a photo the Mrs found on FB.

 

13729146_634952203331065_295709998547181

Doesnt tell the entire story. Looks like it is in a tow yard. So it may have been cut open for occupant rescue
  • 3 weeks later...
SnakeEyeSS Senior Enthusiast

SnakeEyeSS

Posted
Posted

 

Well the article mentioned nothing about downsizing....typical of the news articles today.

There are only a handful of manufacturers that are any good at actually reducing weight and not cutting corners in the process. Mazda is maybe the closest to finding a magic balance but they don't have enough sound deadening. Look and the inside and out of a Mazda6 and you will be amazed at the quality for the price, then drive it with the radio off and some luster is lost quickly. Once they figure that out, they will be there. I've read they are getting better with the new CX-9. GM is doing ok, but it seems they over hype and under deliver. The 6th Camaro didn't lose as much weight as they seemed to imply, once everyone compared apples to apples (SS to SS).

 

Then they started going on and on about the Acadia....which is 3/4 the size of an old Acadia.

 

 

Ford, well you have seen the Silvy vs F150 commercials. Hope you baby it or have a good bed liner. Can only imagine if my brothers 300+ lb grill fell over in one like it did in my old 90 1500.

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