Manufacturing Composite Structures (November 1994)

Development of Manufacturing Methodologies for Vehicle Composite Frames

Sponsor: ThyssenKrupp Budd Body Division (formerly Budd Company, Design Center)

• Project Performance Period: 2/1/1995 - 1/31/1998
• Total project (est.): $3,312,000.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,000,000.00

The Budd Company proposes to build on its experience in producing composite parts for the automotive industry to develop cost-effective methods for manufacturing the load-bearing frames of light trucks out of composite materials that are 25 percent lighter in weight than conventional steel frames--a reduction of 75 pounds per vehicle--yet capable of safely performing the same structural roles. Calculations suggest that a full fleet of light trucks with the lighter composite frames could consume 1.6 percent less fuel, which translates into a fleetwide total of 472,800,000 fewer gallons used over an estimated 12-year lifetime per truck. Challenges of the project involve optimizing and integrating many steps, including creating and setting up the molds and the fiber preforms, injecting polymeric resin into the molds so that it fully infiltrates the preforms, and curing the preparation into reliable and acceptable parts that meet the stringent specifications of the automotive industry.

For project information:

Paul Sichert, (810) 643-3520

ATP Project Manager

H. Felix Wu, (301) 975-4685
felix.wu@nist.gov