Securing critical automotive joints with 3M™ Friction Shims
A simple, strong solution for critical joints anywhere on the vehicle
Why do automotive joints fail?
Every day, you strive for a balance among competing demands: lighter weight and higher performance vs. safety factors and cost. Entire designs depend on the resulting load calculations. Often, you don’t know if they’re accurate until testing – well after the design is complete. Joint failure happens. Here’s a look at why.
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Static joints
Shear forces are increasing – and not just within the vehicle powertrain. Electric vehicles generate high torque and shear force and often weigh significantly more, putting strain on critical joints throughout the vehicle. If a joint begins to slip, it may lead to significant failure.
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Torsional joints
Traditional friction enhancement has focused on torque, generally from fast-spinning mechanisms such as timing sprockets within internal combustion engines. Even the slightest slippage can potentially result in engine failure.
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Chassis
Automotive applications such as chassis, suspensions, and others generally involve e-coated steel or aluminum. These materials make traditional friction-enhancing solutions difficult to apply.
3M™ Friction Shims: up to 5x increased friction
Ultra-thin, compact, highly reproducible and tailored to customers designs, our friction shims consist of a nickel coated steel substrate with partially embedded diamonds. When placed between two components in a bolted connection, the diamonds “bite” into the surface of each component to create a microform fit. This significantly increases friction between the two parts, strengthening and stabilizing the connection.
Benefits for every critical joint
3M provides Friction Shims for nearly any critical joint in the vehicle: chassis, subframes, e-drive mounts, strut assemblies, sway bars, coil spring seats and more.
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Weight Reduction
By increasing load transfer in bolted joints, Friction Shims allow for much higher resistance to rotational and shear forces without adding bolts or increasing component sizes. In many cases they can even allow for component downsizing, excellent for lightweighting.
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Managing Shear Forces
Our Friction Shims protect bolted joints against higher shear loads. This is especially critical in electrified vehicles, which are heavier compared to traditional vehicles. They can preserve and strengthen bolted joints in e-coated chassis, battery mounts, suspensions and many other places throughout the vehicle.
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Design Flexibility
Keep your current design by using Friction Shims as a drop-in solution for improved friction coefficients. They can also create new possibilities: as force increases, load-bearing components can remain the same or decrease in size.
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Torque Increase
Proven through years of failure-free performance in internal combustion engines worldwide, 3M™ Friction Shims can increase torque transfer by 3 to 5 times in ICE and ePowertrain applications without increasing component sizes or adding significant weight.
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Noise Vibration Harshness Reduction (NVH)
Enhancing friction coefficients can eliminate movement in bolted connections. Reduced micromovements in the vehicle chassis may mean less noise – as well as increased passenger comfort and a better passenger experience.
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Safety
You’ll see the difference that 3M Friction Shims make during testing, and long-term in continued on-the-road performance. With 3 to 5 times the friction – and the higher load capacities that result – your designs are much better protected against bolted joint fatigue, loosening or failure.
We’ll help you get a grip from design through production
3M supplies Friction Shims in various grades that can increase coefficient of static friction by a factor of 3 to 5. We can provide Friction Shims for crankshaft or camshaft assemblies, as well as chassis and subframes. Preassembly solutions include 2 or 3 dimensional clips for faster installation. Friction Shims can also be disassembled and reused.
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3M Friction Shims for design-in
3M Friction Shims can help you streamline your design, and lightweight the overall vehicle, by downsizing critical joints. You can build them with fewer fasteners. You can simplify them without the worry of failure under force loads. Our Friction Shims perform in a very broad range of conditions and mating surfaces.
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3M Friction Shims for quick fixes
We know about those moments when your designs hang in the balance due to unexpected failure rates in testing. Our Friction Shims can be a quick drop-in solution: increase the friction, strengthen and stabilize connections and preserve your work without costly redesigns.
Thank You For Your Request
A 3M representative will contact you to discuss your needs in more detail.
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Let’s Get Started.
A great way to see how 3M™ Friction Shims can work for your application is to try them out for yourself. 3M offers Friction Shims in several sizes and grades for testing. Tell us about what you’re working on, and let’s get started.
Need Help Finding the Right Solution?
3M is constantly working to meet the evolving challenges of automotive OEM and Tier suppliers worldwide. If you need help finding an existing solution or would like to talk about specific ideas you’re working on, get in touch with us.
Thank You
Thank you for reaching out to 3M Automotive OEM and Tier Solutions. We have received your request, and we will respond within 48 hours (one to two business days). In the meantime, feel free to call 1-800-328-1684 with any immediate questions.
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