Iran Produces Nano Impact Absorber to Reduce Road Accident Injuries

WANA (Oct 25) – Specialists at an Iranian knowledge-based company have produced a lightweight, durable, and heat- and pressure-resistant product by applying nanocomposite materials within a polymer structure. The new material can be used as an impact absorber to reduce damage caused by traffic accidents and is also applicable in other industries such as construction, urban furniture, and sports equipment manufacturing.

Esmail Nouri, the company’s CEO, said: “Using nanotechnology, we have succeeded in producing resistant polymer granules with shock-absorbing properties that can effectively reduce damage caused by car accidents. These foams absorb the energy generated by impact and prevent it from being transferred to passengers.”

He added that these materials are used not only in the production of impact absorbers for domestic vehicles but also in temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical packaging, as they prevent medicine spoilage during transportation.

Many injuries in road accidents occur when passengers’ bodies collide with the interior parts of vehicles. Alarming statistics on traffic accidents show how crucial it is to improve vehicle safety through design and materials. In this context, an Iranian knowledge-based company has succeeded in developing a new generation of polymer-based nano foams that can significantly reduce injuries in car crashes.

Nouri explained that the granules are placed in pressurized, high-temperature reactors for the saturation process, and after a sudden pressure drop, they are converted into light and durable foams. The molding and final curing of these foams are carried out at customers’ sites, where the parts are prepared for installation in vehicles.

According to Nouri, this technology is not limited to the automotive sector: “These materials are used in the production of impact absorbers for domestic vehicles and also in the packaging of temperature-sensitive medicines, as they prevent temperature changes and spoilage during transportation.”

In the formulation of these foams, nano-sized particles are used within a polymer matrix, which increases mechanical strength, durability, and energy absorption performance in the final product.

Nima Mohsenzadegan, the company’s technical director, explained the details of the technology: “In fact, four different types of nanomaterials are used in this composition, making the final structure lighter, more durable, and more efficient. This combination allows us to produce foams with high compressive strength and far better impact absorption than conventional materials.”

The company’s polymer bead foam, due to its high energy absorption, excellent mechanical strength, thermal and acoustic insulation, high chemical resistance, and biological safety, is classified as a multi-purpose material. These foams are non-toxic, heat-resistant, buoyant, lightweight, and have a very low water absorption rate.

These characteristics make the nano foams suitable not only for the automotive industry but also for construction, industrial, and food packaging, urban furniture, heating and ventilation systems, and sports and recreational equipment.

During the production process, polypropylene granules are converted into mini-granules using reactive extrusion and compounding in the presence of nanomaterials. These mini-granules are then transformed under controlled temperature and pressure conditions into expanded polypropylene bead foams with a cellular structure and very low density. The resulting foams are used as raw materials in steam molding systems to produce final parts for the automotive industry.

According to Iran’s Nanotechnology Headquarters, the expanded polypropylene nano foam has a compressive strength of 1,420 kPa, an elongation capability of up to 20%, compression up to 25%, and a compressive resistance of 205 kPa. Its thermal stability is 0.35%, water absorption is 0.23 kg/m², and flammability rate is about 21 mm per minute.

The company’s CEO emphasized that this product represents a clear example of the application of nanotechnology in industrialization and vehicle safety enhancement.

“We managed to move this product from the research stage to mass production,” Nouri said. “It contributes to vehicle safety improvement and creates high added value for the domestic industry.”

Car Accident. Social media/ WANA News Agency