Mexico. Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Querétaro (UPQ) are developing an applied research project that will determine the main factors, as well as the temporality of affection to which plastic components and the coating of aesthetic paint in cars are exposed through a technique of analysis of their physical, molecular and chemical characteristics.
César Isaza Bohórquez, PhD researcher of Telematics Engineering and leader of the project, explained that due to the innovative technology applied in research, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) decided to support the UPQ with an amount of 4 million pesos for its implementation, this as part of the fund competed in the call "National Problems", maximum resource granted for a body of research.
The importance of the project, highlights Isaza Bohórquez, is that there are currently tests that seek to improve other types of conditions – vehicle performance or safety, among them – but that little is done regarding the aesthetic corrosion of materials. The color of the paint used in automobiles and its components suffer degradation due to exposure to the sun's rays, the environment and pollution, among other factors. What is sought is to identify how it is possible to provide proposals for improvement to reduce these conditions.
To apply the hyperspectral characterization technique using acoustic-optical filters, the group of academics will build a booth in which the materials will be exposed to various conditions, which will accelerate the corrosion processes that affect them day by day. This equipment will allow to measure the wavelengths in a segmented way, with which it will be possible to analyze their molecular structure and identify the vulnerable points of each material.
The body of researchers involved in the project is part of the engineering in Telematics, Computer Systems, Manufacturing Technologies and Mechatronics Engineering. The academics participating in its implementation are: Alondra Ortiz Verdín, Víctor Martínez Fuentes, César Isaza Bohórquez, Jonny Zavala de Paz, Amilcar Rizzo Sierra, Karina Anaya Rivera and Ángel García Moreno.
The objective is to be able to understand the problem of cosmetic degradation of plastic auto parts, and that this analysis contributes to the consolidation of the automotive industry in the section of manufacture, design and creation of the components of this type of materials.
Source: Polytechnic University of Querétaro.
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