Highly-Formable Federal-Mogul Heat Shield Material Provides Very Efficient Thermal Protection and Supports CO2 Reduction

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight reduction has become an increasingly important enabler for fuel economy improvement and emissions reduction. The concurrent use of engine downsizing strategies and the proliferation of turbocharging creates a need for more effective and lightweight thermal management products to protect heat sensitive electronics and materials under the hood.

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Federal-Mogul Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML) offers a solution to difficult heat and weight reduction challenges, as well as other engine compartment packaging challenges, with a versatile, lightweight heat shield material called Nimbus® GII.  The company's innovative heat shield technology provides both high thermal efficiency and high formability for creating complex shapes for custom applications. Nimbus GII also is up to approximately 80 percent lighter than typical steel sandwich heat shields.

"Our Nimbus GII heat shield demonstrates Federal-Mogul's deep understanding of and ability to satisfy the broader challenges around engine downsizing and weight reduction," said Gerard Chochoy, Federal-Mogul's senior vice president of Powertrain Sealing and Bearings. "We have focused our considerable product and manufacturing expertise on developing technologies that solve customer requirements quickly and translate to improvements in fuel economy and CO2 reduction."

Nimbus GII is a distinctive heat shield with a unique construction that interlocks two thin corrugated aluminum sheets, providing high formability and a rigid structure. An insulating air pocket between the two layers increases the inherent high thermal performance of the aluminum. The result is a 15- to 30-percent improvement in thermal protection when compared to a typical sandwich-style heat shield construction.

The Nimbus GII corrugation provides high formability by allowing the material to be stretched without tearing and compressed without wrinkling or buckling.  This formability enables the heat shield to be designed to cover large and complex areas with a single-piece design where multiple heat shields may have previously been required due to the formability limitations of other materials.  The resulting Nimbus GII shield is a rigid, highly efficient thermal barrier that can be formed and fit into complex, tight environments within and around the engine compartment.

"Nimbus GII is one of the only heat shield materials currently available in the market that offers a significant opportunity for weight savings with high levels of thermal efficiency and formability to allow for the manufacture of complex shapes," said Jim Zwick, Federal-Mogul's global director of product technology, Gaskets & Heat Shields.

Along with the thermal management and weight reduction benefits of the Nimbus GII technology, there is the inherent corrosion resistance of aluminum, without the need for the coatings required by conventional heat shield material.  This technology also provides a heat shield that is completely recyclable and without the assorted fillers that may be used in other sandwich style-shields.

Nimbus GII heat shields are in production for several major global automakers at Federal-Mogul's manufacturing facilities in Skokie, Illinois; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Tepotzilan, Mexico and Nanchang, China.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul Corporation is a leading global supplier of powertrain and safety solutions to the world's foremost original equipment manufacturers of automotive, commercial, aerospace, marine, rail and off-road vehicles; industrial, agricultural and power generation equipment; as well as the worldwide aftermarket. Federal Mogul's leading technology and innovation, lean manufacturing expertise, and global distribution network deliver world-class products, brands and services at a competitive cost. The company's sustainable global profitable growth strategy creates value for its employees, customers and shareholders. Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899. The company is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs approximately 45,000 people in 35 countries.

Federal-Mogul's aftermarket products are sold under a variety of well-known brands, including: Abex®, AE®; ANCO®, Beral®, Carter®, Champion®, FP Diesel®, Fel-Pro®,  Ferodo®, Glyco®, Goetze®, MOOG®, National®, Necto®, Nural®, Payen®, Precision®, Sealed Power®, Speed-Pro® and Wagner®. All trademarks are owned by Federal-Mogul Corporation, or one or more of its subsidiaries, in one or more countries. Visit the company's website at www.federalmogul.com.

SOURCE Federal-Mogul Corporation