Abstract
In this work, the effect of field-degradation of automotive polymeric interior parts on the squeak characteristics was studied for a number of used vehicles with various mileages and years of service. The purpose of this study was to characterize the squeak noise related with long-term degradation in service life. The characteristics of field-degraded polymeric samples are analyzed using Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Complicated carbonyl spectra from FT-IR were deconvoluted into various carbonyls to trace field-degradation phenomenon. In addition, various mechanical tests, i.e. tensile test, hardness test as well as coefficient of friction test, were performed to analyze the variation in mechanical properties due to field-degradation. Squeak noise was measured and analyzed by frequency analysis. It was shown that the changes in the chemical structures of polymer due to field-degradation influenced the variation in mechanical properties, and squeak noise may worsen by increasing the squeak noise level in the wide frequency range. The results indicated that customer complaints regarding the squeak noise coming from used vehicles might be one of the important reliability issues because the increase in sound pressure level especially in the high frequency range could annoy drivers and passengers.
