Due to the pressure to cut costs and reduce weight, plastics are gaining in importance - slowly but surely. Thermoplastic materials will replace metals for component dimensions below 400 millimetres - an edge length that, over time, will surely increase thanks to the use of organic sheets. High-performance structural components in the running gear will be put under pressure by fibre-reinforced plastic, as shown by the leaf spring and four-point link from ZF. 'Locking parts' in the cab bodyshell such as the system carrier will continue to be made from sheet metal for the foreseeable future thanks to the considerably quicker manufacturing processes. This is because plastic composites do not (yet) represent a commercially viable alternative, despite the fact that it would be possible from a technical standpoint to make these components from plastic. The shifting of the system limits means the following in this case: the plastic no longer functions as a painted surface, but as a load-bearing structural component (metal frame omitted) with a high surface quality that integrates all the connection points for the hinges, gas-filled spring devices and locks in the plastic.
Plastics-based lightweight construction in commercial vehicles
2013
14 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 7 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Plastics based lightweight construction in commercial vehicles
Kraftfahrwesen | 2013
|Plastics-based lightweight construction in commercial vehicles
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2013
|Lightweight design of commercial vehicles by using plastics
Tema Archiv | 2014
|Development of reinforced plastics in commercial vehicles
Engineering Index Backfile | 1955
|LIGHTWEIGHT FRONT GUARD DEVICE FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
Europäisches Patentamt | 2023
|