Automotive Materials

How does Exponent's unique multidisciplinary approach provide objective answers on cutting-edge materials challenges for the automotive industry?  

When it comes to complex automotive materials challenges, Exponent provides breakthrough insights at every point in the product lifecycle. Our materials engineers work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to provide accurate answers for all types of automotive materials challenges — from assessing innovative large-scale batteries for electric vehicles to technology assessments to manufacturing evaluations to performance issues and failure analysis. 

An accurate understanding of materials and how they perform, fracture, or work in complex systems provides critical information for solving automotive safety and performance challenges. Leveraging a variety of materials — from metals and glass to catalysts, polymers, and composites — and solving the automotive industries' materials challenges requires sophisticated engineering and scientific expertise. Exponent's multidisciplinary teams, including materials scientists, vehicles engineers, and polymer and data scientists, provide wide-ranging analysis for objective insights on challenges related to materials performance, including how they fracture, corrode, adhere, and bond, and perform in complex systems. 

In the area of automated and advanced vehicles, our multidisciplinary teams have solved many challenges. Exponent assists with vehicle engineering and testing, failure analysis, materials selection, sensor analyses, corrosion assessment, coating selection, and process and performance.

State-of-the-art testing provides better answers 

Exponent performs materials and corrosion research at our facilities spread across the U.S., Europe, and Asia using a wide range of physical, chemical, and electrochemical characterization tools, and custom test fixtures. We also work with our Test and Engineering Center (TEC) in Phoenix, a unique single- and multi-vehicle performance and crash test site. At TEC, we conduct sophisticated analyses of vehicle components, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), software and hardware, restraints, and airbags to evaluate performance, crashworthiness, and occupant injury mechanisms. 

We provide support and analysis on complex vehicle system failures around the world and have provided support to clients navigating regulatory requirements for agencies, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We have experience visiting production facilities and conducting audits of manufacturing processes at those locations to provide more context for our research and laboratory testing.