Weight Reduction of Automobile Using Glass-Mat Thermoplastic Composites in Spare-Wheel Well

Abstract

The reduction of carbon dioxide emission and light weighting are the most important issues in automotive industry.  Lightweight, high strength, high corrosion resistance and easy manufacturing of composite materials have been used in automotive sector in recent years.
Glass-mat thermoplastic (GMT) materials are based on polypropylene and it stands out among the composite materials used in the automotive industry with existing long fiber and / or endless glass matt structure as reinforcing material providing high strength, performance impact, energy absorption and recyclability. The material used in this study utilizes GMTex reinforced composite structure with multi-layer glass fiber technology that is reinforced with woven and randomly laid fiber structures to enhance the superior properties of GMT.
The spare-wheel well (SWW) which includes many parts weighs about 10 kg and it is a potential area for weight reduction. This study has been based on the boundary conditions of the existing sheet material in this area, the current performance has been maintained with the GMT/GMTex material to provide approximately 2 kg weight reduction. The effects of orientations of GMTex reinforcement on crash performance have been verified by the rear impact virtual analyzes. Besides, the joining methods and some design criticalities during the integration of composite SWW part in BIW (Body in White) have been mentioned.

Keywords

• GMT,GMTex,Spare-Wheel Well,Thermoplastics

References

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