Project Lightweight Door
A new concept for a lightweight door
Index:A lightweight functional door demonstrator1
Project partners3
Project system approach5
Materials & Technologies7
Design / Engineering consultancy20
Door trim panel demonstrator21
Integration of functionalities
23
Door demonstrator validation25
steel wire and coating
aluminium extrusions
design support
tailored blanks
steel research
durable lightweight
vehicle systems
advanced materials
sound systems
sealing and bonding materials
interior trim
Project partners
A lightweight functional door demonstrator
A two-year (2008-2010) collaboration project of 10 partners with the following objectives:
Developing new materials and technologies for weight reduction and integration of
functionalities
► Integrating and validating the developed technologies in a passenger car door demonstrator
► Focusing on materials and technologies for high-volume production
► Acquiring knowledge to be used also in other applications within and beyond the
automotive industry
►
1
A system-level development approach has been applied taking into account the following considerations:
Existing functionalities: must be kept at least at the same level as state-of-the-art doors
Assembly process: no negative impact of new concepts on assembly time
► Production process: new materials must be produced at high-volume rate
► Cost: new materials and technologies with comparable cost as existing ones
► Recycling: new materials and technologies must meet the prevailing recycling requirements
►
►
The project objectives have been realised, making good use of the synergies of the specialist knowledge
and expertise of the project partners in the field of Materials, Design, Joining technologies, Integration,
and Validation.
2
Project partners
ArcelorMittal is world leader in laser welding of steel sheets of different thicknesses and
Tailored Blanks strengths for automotive applications with the aim of increasing the safety of
passengers and at the same time reducing vehicle weight. (www.arcelormittal.com)
Bekaert is a global technological leader in its two core competences: advanced metal
transformation and advanced materials and coatings, and a market leader in
drawn wire products and applications. (www.bekaert.com)
D&M PSS is an innovative worldwide supplier of advanced audio systems to the automotive
industry. This includes the development of loudspeakers, multi-channel DSP
amplifiers, and also the integration and acoustic tuning of audio systems.
(www.dm-holdings.com)
Flanders’ DRIVE is the Flemish initiative that develops competences for the automotive industry
with a focus on innovation in products and processes. Since 2008, it has evolved
from a knowledge network and test platform into a fully fledged and
internationally recognised research institute. (www.flandersdrive.be)
3
hegge ID
is the expert in design and engineering, transforming ideas and concepts into visual
and concrete developments. (www.hegge-id.com)
Nitto Europe combines its expertise in production techniques, such as polymerisation, coating, foaming and finishing, with extensive know-how in damping, sealing and reinforcement for
innovative applications in the automotive industry. (www.nittoeurope.com)
OCAS develops new steel grades and coatings for the ArcelorMittal group and offers its clients
innovative steel and metal-based solutions. (www.ocas.be)
Recticel is the expert in polyurethane and in developing automotive interior parts in this versatile
material. (www.recticel.be)
Sapa RC Profiles is specialist in co-development and production of profiles, fabrication and joining technologies in aluminium, including friction stir welding, right through to delivering
a completed product. (www.sapagroup.com)
Umicore is a material technology group with expertise, among others, in new
developments in nanotechnology and “Advanced Materials”
(www.umicore.com)
4
Project system approach
System functionalities
& requirements
analysis
System
validation
Components
integration
5
System architecture &
packaging
Component material
& design
optimisation
Components
validation
Taking into account the end customer requirements has reduced
the gap between technology push and market pull
Benchmarking to
identify specs &
requirements
Innovative design
to integrate new
technologies &
reduce weight
Validation test
to prove the new
technologies
6
Materials & Technologies
Steel-cord
reinforced PU
Concepts
Dual phase steel
(TS 500 DP)
Friction stir
spot welding
Damping
materials
Sandwich
materials
Boron steels
for SIPS bar
Gen 2 CosCone
speaker
Foam in steel
profiles
7
Laser welded blanks
& patchwork
CompuLite TM
PUR substrate
Nanoreinforced steel
& PU nanocomposites
Borit®
Structured steel
CompoLiteTM PU substrate
CONCEPT
► Structural sandwich material based on PU foam core and PU-fibres reinforced skins
CHARACTERISTICS
► Lightweight and good strength/weight ratio
► High bending stiffness and high dimensional stability
► Different reinforcing layers possible (glass fibre, basalt, natural fibres, ...)
► High design freedom:
► integration possibilities (channels, fixture, other materials, …)
► flexible A-surface type: Colo-Fast®, textile, …
► good 3D formability in the moulding process
► different properties possible in 1 piece
► Cost-saving due to the 1-step process
8
PU Nanocomposites
CONCEPT
► Addition of Zn oxide nanoparticles in PU formulation
CHARACTERISTICS
► UV absorption leading to:
► improved colour stability
► broader UV protection spectrum
► No volatile organic compounds
9
Nano-reinforced steel
CONCEPT
► Steel strengthening by non-alloy particles:
► oxide nanoparticles produced via different methods
► coating on nanoparticles to improve wettability
► nanoparticles dispersed in molten steel
CHARACTERISTICS
► Steel strengthening by non-alloy particles
► Weight reduction as thickness can be reduced (higher steel strength)
Concept in feasibility stage
10
Structured Steel
CONCEPT
► Forming embossments in single sheet in a continuous process (patented)
► Assembly of 2 sheets (e.g. adhesive bonding)
CHARACTERISTICS
► High stiffness, because of top/top set-up
► Lightweight (e.g. steel skins 2 x 0.25 mm)
► Extra energy adsorption during impact loading
► Additional features:
► allows internal (air) flow for heating and cooling
► advanced “design” look, different cavity shapes possible
► available in various steel grades (strength, coloured pre-coat)
11
Gen2 CosCone speaker
CONCEPT
► Lightweight shallow speaker
CHARACTERISTICS
► Lightweight (down to 125 g for standard 6.5” woofer or full range) because of the use of Nd magnet system & reduced material volume
► Shallow envelope (down to 30 mm for standard 6.5” woofer or full range) allows for more integration flexibility:
► compared to classic loudspeakers, a height reduction can be obtained that equals or exceeds
the required mechanical excursion of the loudspeaker in its application
► Rigid membrane with controlled break-up matches classic cone performance
► Parameterization of membrane dimensions allows for design towards desired acoustics
12
Laser welded blanks & patchwork
CONCEPT
► Remote laser stitch welding technology for hybrid blank solution
► LWB in combination with patchwork for local reinforcement enabling thickness reduction
CHARACTERISTICS
► Weight reduction (10-15%)
► Easier production at OEM (less parts)
► Cost reduction
► Crash management
Optimisation of welding parameters
(robot path, penetration depth, gap, patch size, clamping, …)
13
Boron steels for SIPS bar
CONCEPT
► Combination of press-hardened steel (PHS) and tailored blanks technology
CHARACTERISTICS
► Weight reduction (up to 50% compared with a High-Strength Steel)
► Higher strength thanks to Usibor® steel
► Higher energy absorption thanks to Ductibor® steel
► Crash management
► Overall production costs reduction, thanks to:
► parts integration, blanking, stamping, post-assembling operations, reduction and better material consumption with improved sub-blanks cutting lay-outs
14
Foam in metal profiles
CONCEPT
► Hollow metal profile filled with:
► aluminium foam
► different types of PUR foam
CHARACTERISTICS
► Increased stiffness
► Extra energy absorption during impact loading
► Easy foam insertion
15
Steel-cord reinforced PU belt
CONCEPT
► Steel cords in PU matrix
► Energy absorption element
CHARACTERISTICS
► Weight reduction (450 g/m) and space saving
► Flexibility and easiness of assembly
► Universal usage by cutting to size at assembly line
► Adaptable length
16
Damping material - Legetolex
CONCEPT
► Visco-elastic, structural damper with high damping performance and low weight
► It consists of a thin constraining layer (aluminium or glass cloth) and a self-adhesive
synthetic rubber
CHARACTERISTICS
► High-performance vibration damping
► Extremely lightweight, reducing overall vehicle weight
► Excellent adhesion on the vibrating structure thanks to special rubber compound
► Easy to apply even on curved or oily surfaces
► Application possible before and after ED-paint process
Design, test and evaluation at Nitto Automotive Technical Centre (ATC)
17
Reinforcement material - Nitohard
CONCEPT
► Heat-curing, epoxy/rubber based material for reinforcement of sheet metal
► Nitohard bonds tightly to the steel sheet
► The epoxy/rubber resin is foamed and hardened by the heat of the electro-coating line
CHARACTERISTICS
► High reinforcement strength
► No sink marks on outer panel
► High adhesion at low temperatures
► Also applicable on curved surfaces
► Excellent workability
Design, test and evaluation at Nitto Automotive Technical Centre (ATC)
18
Friction Stir Spot Welding
CONCEPT
► Applied to join aluminium and steel
► Solid-state joining technique
CHARACTERISTICS
► Combination of materials that are difficult to join
► Reduced internal stresses
► No fume or radiation emission during welding
19
Design / Engineering consultancy
CONCEPT
► Coming trends analysis
► Structural innovations
► Styling guide
► Concept integration design - engineering
CHARACTERISTICS
► Through concept and emotional sketches a concept evolves into reality
► Implementation of structural enhancements and intelligent feature integration
► Material/finish/colour advice to optimize end result
► 3D CAD concept to realisation
► 3D CAD rendered visualisations for marketing purposes
► Demonstrator model initiation and support
20
Physical door demonstrator
leading to weight reduction (~20%)
while adding new functionalities
21
Door trim panel demonstrator
22
Integration of functionalities
Sound box
► Integration of speaker and sound box in armrest
► Improved sound system performance because of:
► lower susceptibility to external parameter variation
► less influence of loudspeaker’s suspension parts variation
► low efficiency loss
► higher transmission loss for external sound sources
► reduced vibration transfer to door structure and/or trim
23
Heating/Cooling
► Integration of structured steel in door carrier
► Heating and cooling within the door through the structured steel channels
► Air intake from the dashboard channelling
► Outlet towards rear passengers (through an extra ventilation hole in the door trim)
► Alternative for channelling in the body structure
24
Door demonstrator validation
The door demonstrator has been validated considering various aspects
► Interior trim requirements
► Door sagging
► Door slamming
► Squeak & Rattle
► Torsional stiffness
► Thermal insulation
► Acoustic insulation
► Water tightness
► Impact resistance
►…
25
26
Contact information
Flanders’ DRIVE
Oude Diestersebaan 133
3920 Lommel – Belgium
tel. +32 11 790 590
fax + 32 11 790 591
www.flandersdrive.be
[email protected]