Body - Tech Blog
Detailed FEV study shows the way to major vehicle mass savings
Significant vehicle mass reduction—up to 20%—is achievable if weight reduction is pursued as part of a "full-vehicle approach," according to a study by FEV Inc. released Dec. 13. The company used a 2010 Toyota Venza for its research because that model was used in an earlier, related study. The comprehensive phase-two study by FEV was conducted for the U.S. EPA. The previous study, by Lotus Engineering (go to www.sae.org/mags/aei/8512 to read more), was conducted for the International Council on Clean Transportation. That study did not address mass savings from the powertrain to the extent the new one does, nor did it use advanced CAE tools to judge the impact of mass-savings measures on safety, according to FEV. In both cases, the mass savings were to be achieved with no degradation in safety or other parameters. The new study shows that the body-in-white and closures offered the most mass reduction at 68.32 kg (150.62 lb), followed closely by suspension. Total mass savings of 18.3% (312 kg/688 lb) was achieved, and at a cost savings of $148 from manufacturing efficiencies.
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Advanced CAE tools were used as part of the comprehensive study that resulted in a report of 890 pages.
BMW and Boeing to collaborate on carbon-fiber materials
Two heavyweights in the automotive and aerospace industries are joining minds on lighter materials. BMW and Boeing on Dec. 12 announced they would do joint research on carbon-fiber recycling and share knowledge about the material and its manufacture. As part of the collaboration agreement, the two companies will also share carbon-fiber manufacturing process simulations and ideas for manufacturing automation. BMW in 2013 plans to introduce two models from its new i brand (i3 battery-electric and i8 plug-in hybrid) featuring bodies made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner aircraft is made up of 50% carbon fiber. The collaboration is the first ever between the two companies.
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The bodies of BMW's i brand models will use carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. (Patrick Ponticel)
XCOR announces ATK as Lynx Mark I Wing detailed design/build contractor
XCOR Aerospace has issued the initial phase of a two-phase contract to ATK's Aerospace Structures Division for the detailed design and manufacture of the Lynx Mark I suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV) wings and control surfaces. The initial wing and control surface design has been developed by XCOR to rigorous design standards to enable the craft to perform tens of thousands of flights to and from suborbital altitudes exceeding 100 km. ATK will create a detailed design ready for manufacture, working with structural and flutter analysis experts from Quartus Engineering in San Diego, CA. The wings will be installed on the Lynx Mark I, which is the prototype of the Lynx family of suborbital RLVs from XCOR; the production models are called Lynx Mark II.
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Proposed detailed wing design for XCOR Lynx Mark I to be designed by ATK.
GM puts taillights aglow with new LED technology
Working with supplier 3M, General Motors engineers have developed what they claim is an industry-first LED taillight technology that delivers a soft, uniform red glow in a complex and unique shape. It is being deployed first on the MY2013 Buick Enclave, then will be cascaded to other Buick models, the company says. The uniform glow is made possible by 3M's Uniform Lighting Lens technology, which uses a precision engineered, micro-patterned, thermoformable polycarbonate material that provides even illumination around complex shapes with fewer LEDs, reducing both complexity and energy use, according to GM.
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The 2013 Buick Enclave's new taillights use an industry-first Uniform Lighting Lens technology from 3M for a unique look and reduced energy use.
Inteva expands in India
Inteva Products recently opened a new plant in India for manufacture of door latches, window regulators, and associated motors. The 72,000-ft² (6700-m²) facility in Pune's Chakan industrial area was designed for future expansion to about 100,000 ft² (9300 m²). Inteva India has complete execution and operational capabilities with full quality-assurance testing for both closure systems and motors and electronic product lines. The plant is designed to accommodate organic growth and has the potential for future expansion into the company's other product lines (interior systems and roof systems). In addition to the Pune Operation, Inteva has a technical center in Bangalore employing approximately 150 engineers and serving global and India business.
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Pune plant operations includes manufacturing lines for door latches, window regulators, and motors, with in-process testing capabilities.
New IIHS test aims to increase protection in frontal crashes
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has raised the bar with its new small overlap frontal crash test. With a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, 25% of the car’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-ft-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. These small overlap crashes, which affect the outer edges not protected by crush-zone structures, are responsible for a considerable percentage of the 10,000 deaths in frontal crashes each year. The test utilizes three rating categories: structure, restraints and kinematics, and dummy injury measures. Of the vehicles tested, the Volvo S60 performed the best, permitting only a few inches of intrusion into the occupant compartment due to reinforcement of the upper rails and a steel cross member below the instrument panel. Common problems with other vehicles included high occupant compartment intrusion and unsafe occupant motion, including dummies that missed the airbag or moved too far forward toward the A-pillar. After 2013, the IIHS intends to add the small overlap frontal crash test to its list of evaluations for the Top Safety Pick award.
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Of the 11 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars tested, only three scored good or acceptable in the new small overlap frontal crash test from IIHS.
Dow expands composite processing capabilities
Dow Automotive Systems has expanded its capabilities in composite processing technology with two new development facilities—one in Freienbach, Switzerland, and the other in Midland, MI. The labs support global automotive and commercial transportation customers with an emphasis on carbon-fiber composites. The 200-m2 (2150-ft2) Composite Technology Center in Freienbach opened in April and is equipped with a large high-pressure resin transfer molding (RTM) machine for prototype production. It also offers development and testing facilities for resins and related adhesives, as well as an Adhesives Training Center. The Midland tech center, which opened in June, accommodates technologies associated with direct long-fiber processing, prepreg, preforming, compression molding, and laminating. This 465-m2 (5000-ft2) site is co-located with key corporate R&D capabilities including analytical sciences, the Materials Engineering Center, and polymer chemistry and processing related expertise. The two new composite technology facilities are part of Dow Automotive Systems’ strategy to support the industry’s push for more lightweight solutions.
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Dow Automotive Systems' new Composite Tech Center in Freienbach is equipped with a large high-pressure resin transfer molding (RTM) machine for prototype production.
NHTSA takes closer look at vehicle compatibility
A voluntary agreement reached among the world's major automakers in 2003 to reduce the risk of injury and death in collisions between passenger cars and larger light vehicles (LTVs) has produced questionable results, according to the NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The agency is seeking comment on a technical report that describes the effectiveness of the Enhancing Vehicle-to-Vehicle Crash Compatibility Agreement (EVC), under which automakers agreed on voluntary standards for LTVs to reduce the height mismatches between LTVs and passenger cars. Overall, there was a statistically significant 8% reduction in car occupant fatalities of passenger cars after light trucks self-certified to the agreement. However, for pickup trucks and SUVs separately, the effectiveness is inconsistent. Pickup trucks experienced a nonsignificant increase of 5% likelihood of occupant fatalities of passenger cars, while SUVs were associated with a significant 17% reduction. The studies cited in the report "provide some evidence that the EVC has reduced fatalities, but are not sufficiently strong to permit an unequivocal conclusion that it has been effective in reducing fatality risk to car occupants." NHTSA will study comments received to determine whether to initiate rulemaking. The technical report can be viewed at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811621.pdf.
Magellan Aerospace announces contract with Boeing
Boeing awarded Magellan Aerospace Corp. a contract for the continuation of the production of complex, hard metal structural assemblies for the next-generation 737, 747-8, 767, 777, and the production of such assemblies for the new 787 Dreamliner airplanes. These integrated assemblies will be manufactured and delivered from Magellan's New York, NY, and Kitchener, Ontario, operating facilities beginning in 2013. Magellan's core aerostructures expertise is in the provision of complex, machined components for large commercial platforms. Boeing and Magellan have an established relationship and have benefited from working together to develop improved efficiencies using Boeing lean and value engineering tools as well as the Magellan Operating System.
Boeing awards composite aerostructures contract for 777 and 787 Dreamliner
Boeing and Mubadala Aerospace signed a 10-year direct contract for Strata Manufacturing, Mubadala Aerospace's advanced composite aerostructures facility in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, to produce commercial composite aerostructures for the 777 and 787 Dreamliner. In addition, the companies announced a strategic agreement that positions Strata to be a future supplier of the vertical fin for the Dreamliner, a major composite assembly. In Boeing's first direct composites supplier contract in the Arab world, Strata will manufacture empennage ribs for the 777 and vertical fin ribs for the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing has already begun to provide tooling, operational early training, and other support for those work packages, and Strata's deliveries of those components are scheduled to begin in 2013.
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