Quasistatic and crash tests of steel-CFRP hybrid pillar structures for automotive applications

摘要

One promising approach in the field of automotive lightweight construction is the combination of sheet metal and fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). In these hybrid structures the wall thickness of the metallic structure is reduced and a local FRP reinforcement is applied to heavily loaded sections of the part. The present paper sets out current research results in the field of hybrid materials. First of all, the prepreg press technology for manufacturing automotive structural components in a hybrid design is illustrated. In particular, the advantages of this technology compared to conventional processing methods for FRP are highlighted. Next, the joining of the steel and the FRP component by using an epoxy matrix resin as an adhesive is discussed. Subsequently, the results of quasistatic and crash tests on hybrid hat profiles are presented. It was shown that hybrid materials hold a high weight-saving potential for structural automotive components compared to steel-only structures.