• Fox, Bronwyn
• Chen, Xiaogang
• Xu, Weilin
• Finn, Niall
• Hearle, John
• Corbett, Tim
• Naebe, Minoo
• Miller, Jason
• Osterlund, Jonas

Abstract

Weight reduction in vehicles is becoming increasingly important as a means to reduce fuel consumption in petrol driven vehicles and to facilitate the introduction of higher performance electric and hybrid-electric cars. Seat frames are currently manufactured almost exclusively from steel and involve many complex steps including steel stamping and robotic welding that limit design flexibility and have high tooling costs. The use of composites provides the opportunity to reduce weight while maintaining or improving crash performance. The application of 3D seamless knitting also provides greater flexibility and simpler manufacturing processes as well as aesthetic and comfort benefits. A study to replace an existing steel seat frame with a knitted composite is described showing how the strength and durability targets were reached while the weight was reduced by 60%.A range of knit structures and other fabric forms were investigated and their mechanical properties evaluated in test-coupons, model beams, and full seat structures. Resin flow during vacuum infusion and RTM were also investigated and it was shown that knitted fabrics can be rapidly infused. The study demonstrates that this technology has great potential for weight reduction in the automotive and other transport sectors.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• strength
• steel
• composite
• durability
• resin