Car Body Components based on Sandwich Technology Chances, Series Applications, Innovative Concepts, Future Challenges

摘要

Smoothly curved flat panels of car body components based on sandwich technologies possess an excellent lightweight potential. Beside the mechanical properties of sandwich face sheets, material capability and structure of the core material influence the overall sandwich performance as well as the fabrication, the appearance of the parts and economical issues. Due to lower core properties, polymer based sandwich materials are predestined for moderately loaded components. Unlike to that, metallic sandwich concepts promise further advantages over their polymer competitors, e.g. outstanding mechanical performance and thermal stability, and recommend them to be applied in highly loaded structural car components. A short overview of polymer sandwich applications in car body design and an innovative concept concerning a moderately shaped aluminum foam sandwich panel of a sunroof will be reported herewith.