Title: Advanced composites for the body and chassis of a production high performance car

Authors: Paolo Feraboli, Attilio Masini, Andrea Bonfatti

Addresses: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Box 352400, Seattle, WA 98195-2400, USA. ' Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A (ITA), Advanced Composites R&D Division, Sant'Agata Bolognese 40019, Italy. ' Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, Body and Frame R&D Department, Sant'Agata Bolognese 40019, Italy

Abstract: Carbon fibre composites can offer a great deal of weight saving and manufacturing flexibility in the design of a high performance vehicle, while decades of research in metal science have produced manufacturing techniques that guarantee perfect surface finish, alloys that can withstand weathering agents during the lifetime of a vehicle and very reliable joining methods, these relatively new materials require constant evaluation in automotive applications to ensure equal if not greater performance than their metallic counterpart. This paper highlights the fundamental contributions of advanced composites in the production of the body panels and integrated chassis components for the Murcielago and Murcielago Roadster.

Keywords: automotive composites; carbon fibre; manufacturing methods; class A surface; environmental effects; adhesive bonding; vehicle design; automobile industry; advanced composites; body panels; chassis components; high performance vehicles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2007.013641

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2007 Vol.44 No.3/4, pp.233 - 246

Published online: 10 May 2007 *

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