Title: Quasistatic and crash tests of steel-CFRP hybrid pillar structures for automotive applications

Authors: Christian Lauter; Joerg Niewel; Thomas Troester

Addresses: Chair for Automotive Lightweight Construction, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn, Germany ' Chair for Automotive Lightweight Construction, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn, Germany ' Chair for Automotive Lightweight Construction, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn, Germany

Abstract: One promising approach in the field of automotive lightweight construction is the combination of sheet metal and fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). In these hybrid structures the wall thickness of the metallic structure is reduced and a local FRP reinforcement is applied to heavily loaded sections of the part. The present paper sets out current research results in the field of hybrid materials. First of all, the prepreg press technology for manufacturing automotive structural components in a hybrid design is illustrated. In particular, the advantages of this technology compared to conventional processing methods for FRP are highlighted. Next, the joining of the steel and the FRP component by using an epoxy matrix resin as an adhesive is discussed. Subsequently, the results of quasistatic and crash tests on hybrid hat profiles are presented. It was shown that hybrid materials hold a high weight-saving potential for structural automotive components compared to steel-only structures.

Keywords: lightweight automotive design; multi-material systems; hybrid structures; CFRP; prepreg press technology; crash tests; vehicle design; steel sheet metal; carbon fibre reinforced plastics; pillar structures; epoxy matrix resin; adhesives; structural components; automotive components.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAUTOC.2014.064127

International Journal of Automotive Composites, 2014 Vol.1 No.1, pp.52 - 66

Received: 10 May 2013
Accepted: 26 Sep 2013
Published online: 30 Aug 2014 *

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