Innovative Structural Concepts for Lightweight Design of Heavy Vehicle Systems

Document Number: 2008-01-2654

Date Published: October 2008

Author(s):
Jacky Prucz - West Virginia Univ.

Abstract:
The objective of this paper is to devise innovative lightweight design concepts for heavy vehicle structures. A 1 to 4 prototype of a trailer was built to assess the feasibility of use of polymer composites and to have firsthand experience with possible bonding methods to join the design parts. In the current trailer configurations, floor assembly constitutes 70% of the overall weight. The results indicated that sandwich technology with a lightweight core that adds flexural stiffness to the overall design provides a solution to decrease the weight of heavy vehicle systems.

File Size: 936K
Product Status: In Stock

Included in: V117-2008

See other papers presented at Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress & Exhibition, October 2008, Chicago, IL, USA, Session: Materials Development (Chassis Composites)

Purchase more technical papers and save! With TechSelect, you decide what SAE Technical Papers you need, when you need them, and how much you want to pay. Learn more >