Using magnesium for automotive structural components helps reduce vehicle weight. In this paper, certain functional requirements for the instrument panel (IP) beam, radiator support and door inner structure are presented based an the expected performance of the corresponding steel or aluminum parts. Further studies investigate a magnesium IP beam. Property variations of the magnesium are first investigated. Eight tensile coupons cut from different locations of the IP beam are tested along with a standard die cast tensile specimen. Elongation of the material taken from the component varies from 3% to 11% while the Standard sample has 6% elongation. Air bag deployment tests are conducted and analyzed as a static loading condition for the IP beam. The rigid fixture air bag deployment test identifies the loads applied to the IP beam air bag mounting stanchions. The component test examines the IP beam performance under simulated air bag deployment. A prelim-inary finite element simulation evaluates the magnesium IP beam design. Forces applied to the air bag mounting stanchions and beam pertormance are critical factors in the design and development of the IP beam. This study suggests that efficient component designs using magnesium should consider the difference of the material property from steel. Material characteristics of the magnesium need to be clearly defined and incorporated early in the design process. This paper demonstrates that a CAE model has the capability to predict structural behavior of magnesium components.
Magnesium automotive structure component design
Gestaltung von Fahrzeugstrukturbauteilen aus Magnesium
2002
6 Seiten, 12 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 13 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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