AD&P; > March 2014 > NOTABLE
14
Composites Under the Car
Weight savings of 50 to 60% can be achieved in chassis
components by using composite materials instead of
conventional metals.
This bold claim comes from Stefan Sommer, CEO of
driveline and chassis technology supplier ZF ( zf.com ).
And he says the company is committed to developing the
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processes and manufacturing the composite products that
make these high-percentage weight savings possible in the
next decade. To achieve this, in July 2013, the company
opened the ZF Composites Tech Center in Schweinfurt,
Germany. In addition to composites-based processes
and products, they are also developing multi-material
construction capabilities.
ZF is testing a prototype vehicle that
uses composite structural underbody
parts, such as a suspension strut and
knuckle module made from fber-
reinforced plastics for damping and
wheel guidance. The two parts weigh
40% less than traditional steel versions.
There is also a front-axle stabilizer link
made from a carbon fber injection-
molded polyamide and high-strength
steel replaces a conventionally all-steel
component, which provides a 16%
weight reduction.
Designing these chassis components
from composite materials requires a
diferent mentality than working with
conventional metals, says Michael
Hankel, ZF board member responsible
for production, powertrain, chassis,
and electronics. "The design is
completely diferent than it is with
steel or aluminum," Hankel says,
explaining that while the properties
of the metals are essentially the
same in all directions, with a fber-
based composite, the orientation
of the fbers helps determine the
performance properties of the
material, which is important given
specifc applications.
Hankel acknowledges that compared
to metals, composite part processing
time has been a roadblock for greater
automotive application, but this is
something that they're beginning to
overcome.
According to Sommer, there should
be several composite-based chassis
components on production models by
2020.—ZP
0314ADP Notable.indd 14 2/18/2014 3:28:53 PM