Search Results

With the increasing need for developing fuel-efficient and high-performance vehicles, light weighting has become a very important aspect in automotive industry. Hence conversion of the existing metal components to composites is gaining momentum. Composite materials are much lighter than metals and offer many advantages such as fuel efficiency, corrosion resistance and improved life which has resulted in the increased usage of composite materials. Front under-run protection device (FUPD) is a protective device which is fitted on the front side of a truck which prevents the vehicle in front from under-running below the truck and also absorbs impact energy in case of a collision. This paper discusses the design, development and certification from ARAI of the lightweight composite front under-run protection device (FUPD). It has resulted in 33.33% weight reduction compared to the earlier metal component.

As the automotive industry focuses on fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles along with reducing the carbon footprint, weight reduction becomes essential. Composite materials offer several advantages over metals, including lighter weight, corrosion resistance, low maintenance, longer lifespan, and the ability to customize their strength and stiffness according to specific loading requirements. This paper describes the design and development of the Rear Under Run Protection Device (RUPD) using composite materials. RUPD is designed to prevent rear under-running of passenger vehicles by heavy-duty trucks in the event of a crash. The structural strength and integrity of RUPD assembly are evaluated by applying loads and constraints in accordance with IS 14812:2005. The design objective was to reduce weight while maintaining a balance between strength, stiffness, weight, manufacturability, and cost.