The S-PARQ project, created from a collaboration between Amado Gomes, Lda. (Portugal) and Fibrenamics - University of Minho, aims to develop a “partial coverage for vehicle protection.”
Innovation
The project aimed to solve the problems associated with the degradation of vehicles, due to excessive precipitation, acid rain, snow, sun exposure, wind, heat, tree sap, leaves, abrasive powder, bird droppings, and other debris.
Another important aspect is the increase of temperature inside the car caused by sunlight, a known problem especially in summer times. The incidence of sunlight on a vehicle for thirty minutes, substantially increases the temperature inside the passenger compartment, passing from an outside temperature of 27 ° C to an inside of the vehicle temperature of 46 ° C. This increased temperature induces other problems such as:
● Damage on the front panel of the vehicle;
● Discomfort for the user in contact with different components of the vehicle.
Results
A partial cover that, in addition to protect the vehicle from the natural degradation due to exposure the environment, it also reduces the temperature inside the vehicle by 40 % (a 10 ° C reduction), has been developed.
From the analysis of the obtained it was concluded that the cover possesses waterproof properties. To analyse the wind resistance, the predefined fixing areas were positioned at strategic locations and it was verified that they resist a speed wind of about 288 km/h, except for the system/fixation area of magnetic materials.
Finally, the validation tests in situ, it was concluded that the developed cover was effective in controlling the temperature inside the passenger compartment, meeting the specifications initially defined.
Datasheet
The S-PARQ project (Vale R & D No. 2011/18654), sponsored by Amado Gomes, Lda. (Portugal), Is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN).
