Acoustic interlayer makes it easier to be green
Take a good look at a vehicle’s glass and you’ll see the solution to several critical issues that are highly important to OEMs: Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH), increased fuel economy and decreased CO2 emissions.
Global environmental regulations, such as the Kyoto Agreement, the European ECE and the new U.S. CAFE standards, set stringent CO2 emissions standards for the automotive industry to meet by 2012. As a result, OEMs are faced with making significant vehicle design changes in a tight timeframe; all without sacrificing the comfort and quality consumers expect.
Now is the time to evaluate unconventional solutions. Now is the time to look to the vehicle’s glass, a proven NVH solution, as a solution for fuel and emissions savings as well.
An expert at multi-tasking, Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer:
- Provides a significant reduction in interior cabin noise and creates a quiet and comfortable environment for passengers that they equate with a high-quality vehicle – up to 6 decibels with the acoustic windshield and up to 8 decibels with the acoustic windshield and acoustic side laminates
- Saves up to 10.9 kilograms of weight per vehicle
- Creates a fuel savings of 12 liters per vehicle per year
- Reduces CO2 emissions by 29.1 kilograms per vehicle per year
These achievements speak volumes for the many benefits of Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer, an NVH, weight-saving, fuel-saving, CO2-emision-saving solution that made its name by being quiet.
Laminated glass made with Saflex acoustic interlayer is lighter than traditional monolithic glass or standard laminated glass. It provides an overall vehicle weight savings of up to 11% that translates to eco-friendly benefits for OEMs.
In addition, as we move toward a more eco-friendly environment, vehicles designed to use alternative fuels continue to have NVH issues that can be mitigated with Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer.
Hybrids, which tend to run quieter than traditional gas-powered engines, do have a noise problem: The loud noise that occurs when the engine shifts from electric mode to gas power. Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer, when used in the windshield and side laminates, can reduce this noise by up to 6 decibels, which provides passengers with a more comfortable, and less startling, driving experience.
While hybrids are the new kids on the block, fuel-efficient diesel-powered vehicles are making a strong comeback. Yet, the new clean diesels operate at a noise level higher than internal combustion engines. And engine noise, in part, is transmitted through the windshield, which is the weak point in the noise path.
By using Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer in the windshield, as well as the side laminates, OEMs can realize a significant reduction in interior cabin noise of up to 6 decibels and a loudness reduction of up to 3 Sones.
References: Glass sizes based on 4 side windows of 0.5 meters square each, a standard windshield of 1.5 meters square and a glass roof or 1.5 meters square. Emission reduction calculations based on information found at: www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm and an annual driving distance of 24,000 km. Tests were conducted on a high speed test track; 30-s data recording with a binaural dummy head in passenger seat; each test run consisted of driving vehicle at one direction, then in opposite direction at constant speed; data from four replicate test runs at each test speed were averaged.
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