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Components to provide instrument panel system structure have typically involved the use of steel, magnesium or aluminum or various combinations of these materials. Some concepts have also involved the use of plastic components to provide partial system structure. Most of these concepts have required the use of additional components to provide for air distribution ductwork. The concept which is the subject of this paper is the use of a composite structural plastic beam to provide total unassisted system structure while also providing HVAC air distribution ductwork. The analytical models used to develop this system will be described. Test results will be presented for actual injection molded and assembled composite beams and compared to those predicted by the analytical models.

The objective of this paper is to discuss the process, from design conception through analytical simulation to experimental test, of the development of a composite cross car beam for a passenger vehicle application. Over the past five years there has been considerable interest in the development of cross car beams, which serve as the main component for support of the Instrument Panel (I/P) structure and related systems. Stringent design requirements for vehicle Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH), durability and crashworthiness have driven the role of cross car beams to new levels. In addition, new styling trends, such as cabin forward design, and new vehicle manufacturing and assembly methods, such as cockpit build, have also placed demands on the role of cross car beams.