This paper describes the engineering development of a fully-integrated instrument panel (IP) design concept made of a Polypropylene (PP) rubber modified compound filled with 15% talcum. In this design concept the metal cross car beam, as usually applied in traditional IPs, has been eliminated. In the design concept, three main injection molded shells are vibration welded to each other and form a stiff structure. The steering column is attached to the body-in-white (BIW) and to the plastic structure by means of a separate column support which can be made of steel, aluminum, magnesium or fiber-reinforced plastic. The development was meant for the European market and therefore not intended to meet the unbelted FMVSS 208 requirements. The total IP assembly has a substantially lower cost and weight than conventional cross car beam based IP structures while meeting all of the legal and performance requirements. The concept has been validated and optimized using extensive Computer Aided Engineering. Results showed that legal requirements and performance targets can be met, and a weight saving of 2.5 kg can be achieved. Cost studies revealed significant savings, in the overall part cost and in a decreased number of assembly operations and simpler logistics. Further, improved assembly, improved recycling and increased packaging space are valuable benefits ofthe new design concept.
A fully-integrated polypropylene instrument panel design concept
2001
12 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 2 Tabellen
Conference paper
English
A Fully-Integrated Polypropylene Instrument Panel Design Concept
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