The steel cords consist of various types of galvanized wires coated with an extra anti-corrosive layer resulting in an optimum lifetime.
The steel cord reinforcement employed in the EASI concept, which stands for Energy Absorption, Safety and Integrity, features a tensile strength of more than 2800 MPa. Thanks to this exceptionally high strength, the injection or compression molded part retains its structural integrity even after high impact. While molded plastic parts with conventional reinforcement usually fracture upon failure, an EASI component keeps on absorbing energy even after it has been damaged in a high impact collision.
The combination of polymers and steel cord reinforcement doesn’t just improve the impact resistance of the component; it is also very light (30% lighter compared to a similar part made out of steel). This benefit is of particular importance for the automotive market. Vehicles fitted with lightweight EASI components can significantly reduce their emissions, which can help them to meet the emission standards.
Moreover, the application of EASI components is not limited to the automotive market alone. The flexible structure of the EASI concept offers many design possibilities. This makes it suitable for a wide range of uses that require a high-impact resistance like storage tanks, engineering structures, buoys, dock fenders, etc.
