Design of Center Pillar with Composite Reinforcements Using Hybrid Molding Method

Recently, with the increase in awareness about a clean environment worldwide, fuel efficiency standards are being strengthened in accordance with exhaust gas regulations. In the automotive industry, various studies are ongoing on vehicle body weight reduction to improve fuel efficiency. This study a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials 2021-04, Vol.14 (8), p.2047
Main Authors: Kang, Ji-Heon, Lee, Jae-Wook, Kim, Jae-Hong, Ahn, Tae-Min, Ko, Dae-Cheol
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adhesives
Automobile industry
Body weight
Bond strength
Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
Carbon fiber reinforcement
Composite materials
Design
Energy efficiency
Exhaust gases
Fiber composites
Fuel consumption
Fuel economy
Glass fiber reinforced plastics
Heat
Injection molding
Plastics
Pressure molding
Production costs
Simulation
Stiffness
Weight reduction
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Summary:Recently, with the increase in awareness about a clean environment worldwide, fuel efficiency standards are being strengthened in accordance with exhaust gas regulations. In the automotive industry, various studies are ongoing on vehicle body weight reduction to improve fuel efficiency. This study aims to reduce vehicle weight by replacing the existing steel reinforcements in an automobile center pillar with a composite reinforcement. Composite materials are suitable for weight reduction because of their higher specific strength and stiffness compared to existing steel materials; however, one of the disadvantages is their high material cost. Therefore, a hybrid molding method that simultaneously performs compression and injection was proposed to reduce both process time and production cost. To replace existing steel reinforcements with composite materials, various reinforcement shapes were designed using a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic patch and glass fiber-reinforced plastic ribs. Structural analyses confirmed that, using these composite reinforcements, the same or a higher specific stiffness was achieved compared to the that of an existing center pillar using steel reinforcements. The composite reinforcements resulted in a 67.37% weight reduction compared to the steel reinforcements. In addition, a hybrid mold was designed and manufactured to implement the hybrid process.
ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma14082047