TECABS: Technologies for carbon fibre reinforced modular automotive structures

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 99.0286-2

Key words (English)

Automotive; composite; body-in-white; RTM; heavy tow carbon fibre; dimensional stability; Lactam12;
Environmental Protection; Safety; Transport

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: G3RD-2000-00102

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.3.3 Land transport and marine technologies

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
EPF Lausanne
Département des Matériaux
Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Volkswagen AG, group research, Wolfsburg (D)

Abstract (English)

Low cost (heavy tow) carbon composite automotive structures will allow to reduce the weight of a Body in White with 50%. For the whole vehicle the reduction could be 40%, resulting in vast reduction of CO2 emission from automotive transport. Using complex shaped multifunctional parts and joining technologies, the number of parts can be reduced to 30% of the present 200+. This reduction of parts makes this car concept cost effective even if the manufacturing costs per part are still expected to be higher. Technologies and methods that enable realisation of this vehicle concept in 50 units/day series of commercial cas are developed in the project: high speed low cost RTM processes and cost effective/high speed perform (waste 40%->5%) and resin technologies; simulation technologies of static/crash behaviour and economic & environmental performance; design solution modular methodology to translate performance requirements into feasible part concepts using these new technologies. The project results in each of these exploitable technologies and validates the integrated achievement by means of testing a full scale multifunctional floor pan under various conditions including crash and modal vibration.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 99.0286-2