PPG Selected for DOE Partnership

PPG has been selected for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership that will use supercomputing resources to accelerate the development and testing of structural adhesives for vehicles built from lightweight materials. The project was authorized by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, with funding provided by the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) program. PPG will collaborate with DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to develop computer-based models of the aging characteristics of a variety of next-generation adhesives designed to join lightweight materials. Vehicle manufacturers are exploring the use of high-strength steel, aluminum, magnesium, carbon-fiber composites and other lightweight materials to reduce vehicle mass and improve fuel economy. This approach requires new adhesive chemistries that will mitigate corrosion and thermal expansion issues associated with joining dissimilar materials. For identifying growth opportunities for composites in the North American automotive market, please visit http://www.lucintel.com/north_american_automotive_composites_16.aspx