Plastic Forms Metal: One-Step Hybrid Forming Process for the Production of Hybrid Structures for Vehicle Bodies and Chassis

摘要

In large-scale automotive production,all-metal components are still mainly used instead of high-performance plastic/metal hybrids for reasons of cost.With a newly developed production process combining metal sheet forming and compression molding,hybrid components can now be manufactured more quickly and economically.The demands made on structural components for vehicle bodies and chassis have continually increased in recent years.E-mobility is intensifying these demands,as vehicles are becoming heavier due to high battery weight.In the event of crashes,vehicle bodies must dissipate high energies and require high-performance structural components for energy absorption to ensure a high passive safety standard.Loads on the chassis,particularly on the rear axle,are increasing due to additional batteries,so weight reduction of chassis components is also becoming increasingly important.One possible option for saving weight and at the same time integrating functions in components is offered by long glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics(LFT).So far,100% LFT components have not been used in safety-relevant car structures,such as suspension arms,because of their low ductility and the risk of abrupt failure.LFT can,however,be used with steel in a hybrid component,so combining the low density and high specific strength of LFT with the good fail-safe properties of a steel component.