The success of non-structural plastics throughout the vehicle in the last decade has led to increasing interest in the application of plastic-based materials in semi-structural and fully-structural segments of the automobile. Such in-roads have already begun in the increasing occurrence of skin panels and bumper systems. There remains, however, a vast opportunity for increased usage even in these semi-structural areas. There is essentially no application of plastic-based composites in structural applications in high volume vehicles although these materials are evident in very low volume specialty vehicles such as Lotus. There are alternative materials and alternative manufacturing processes which could be of significance if composites are to expand more broadly into semi-structural applications and to enter the arena of structural applications. The purpose of this paper is to outline the alternative potential strategies involved in these kinds of applications and, to a lesser extent, to review the manufacturing processes and materials which could play a major role in such usage.


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    Title :

    Alternative strategies for composite use in automobiles


    Additional title:

    Mögliche Strategien zum Einsatz von Verbundwerkstoffen in Automobilen


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    1990


    Size :

    11 Seiten, 8 Bilder


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English