1. Advanced technology of automotive front-end
Before the advent of European sports cars being imported to the United States, highways in
that country were traversed by large heavy hulks of automobiles that somewhat jokingly
held the reputation of being like Sherman tanks. Everything was heavy about them, from
power train to the knobs on the radio. Up to the very recent past cars were manufactured
from the ground-up in one assembly line; nothing really had changed from the time of Henry
Ford in the very early 1900s. In other areas of manufacturing, especially electronics,
miniaturization and modulations were becoming watchwords, as more attention was being
paid to the need to have space and conserve natural resources.
Europe and Japan already realized that there needed to be a change in how automobiles
were being manufactured, as peoples in these regions already were experiencing high fuel
costs, and they were living in much more crowded areas. It was only logical to bring in
manufacturing practices to the automobile industry, and the first wave of that came with
European “sports cars” and economy cars. The U.S. lagged by at least ten years, introducing
similar but inferior models, such as the Chevette and Pinto in the early 1970s. The Mustang
and the Camero, albeit smaller than their larger predecessors, still weren’t as small as the
Toyota Corolla of 1971, Honda Civic, fiat Spider, or the VW Beetle. They certainly don’t rank
in the category of “compact” or “economy” cars, as a visit to any major parking lot, rental
car agency, or street in Europe or Japan will immediately reveal.
Europe and Japan also led the way to modularization, as well as miniaturization, front-end
modules (FEM) being a major step forward. Two major factors driving FEM development
were the need for weight reduction, brought on by increasing fuel costs, and the observation
that vehicle assembly procedures were bulky and inefficient. Smaller cars demand lighter
components, simply because the engines are not as powerful.
Material density and size are the main factors contributing to weight and strength. The main
goal in design to make a material less dense and miniaturized, while retaining functionality
and durability. However, overall cost of manufacturer still is the baseline consideration by
most manufacturers. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations [1] also will be a
factor. These U.S. regulations were enacted in 1975 in response to the 1973 Arab oil
embargo and mandated auto manufacturers to construct vehicles with lower fuel usage.
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2. Three basic ways of constructing a front-end module (FEM) are using current materials,
(mainly metal), all non-metal (mainly composites), or a combination of both. The central
goal is to have a lower weight but stronger assembly that is durable but environmentally
friendly. FEMS initially has a steel carrier but developments in composite design have helped
transition construction from a hybrid design to more composite-based assemblies.
Material and weight considerations
Lift up the suspension and steering assemblies of the front-end and you’ll realize that they
are one of the heaviest assemblies of the automobile. Only the engine and transmission
weigh more (and the differential in older cars). Just about every part contributes to the
weight, but of particular notice are brake assemblies (particularly rotors and callipers), ball
joints, power-assisted steering units, and the material out of which the linkage is made –
usually dense steel. Plastics, metal alloys, ceramics, and composites are changing all that.
Plastics
Plastics saw their advent with Bois Durci (French for "hardened wood") in 1855, made from
finely ground cellulose together with an adherent, such as egg or blood albumen, or
gelatine. The mixture is compressed to a dense form using steam. Synthetic ivory was under
the trade name of Parkesine and won an award at the 1`862 World’s Fair in London. This is
made by treating cellulose with nitric acid (part of the process making nitroglycerine) and
dissolving this cellulose nitrate, or pyroxilin, in alcohol and hardened by heating it. Bakelite
was invented in 1912 by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-born American and was the first
plastic, not being created from molecules not found in nature. World War I brought polyvinyl
chloride, with polyamide (nylon) following in the 1930s, and hosts of other during and
following World War II. Synthetic rubber saw its advent in that war, and since then, we have
developed a plethora of synthetic materials, including biodegradables and organic-
synthetics. Which then are used in making cars lighter and stronger? Surely, anything lighter
and stronger than the present usually metal-based materials is better.
Thermoplastic resins provide the material most commonly used in the most common
matrices that are filled with polypropylene (PP) and nylon polyamide (PA). Early FEM
materials consisted of compression moldable glass-mat thermoplastic (GMT)
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3. composites with chopped-fiber matting. Plastics manufacturing in other applications was
using injection molding, and this technology was transferred to FEMs, along with pelletized
long fiber thermoplastics (LFT), the first being PA, and winding up with PA. Currently, there
is inline-compounded (ILC) injection, or compression-molded direct-LFT (D-LFT) as a major
material of choice [2].
D-LFT process (compression): D-LFT (or S-LFT) process (injection):
Compression moulding after in-line Injection moulding after in-line
compounding with glass rovings. compounding with glass rovings.
[3]
For lighter cars, manufacturers like Mercedes and Hyundi are using injection-
moulded pelletized LFT-PP for their all-composite FEMs. These FEMs have the capability of
deforming better, thus preserving the main part of the car during a crash. LFT also provides
the needed stiffness and allows for the creation of mounting points for system components.
Fiber reinforced plastics
Everyone has heard of fiber glass and knows that strands of a material mixed with any other
substance that hardens in a homogeneous way will strengthen it. This is the principle behind
fiber reinforced plastics. Not only is the substance lighter than metal, it often can be just as
strong or stronger. At the Shanghai Auto Show this year, the Chinese displayed an all-plastic
front-end module (FEM) made out of a long glass fiber polypropylene (LGFPP) resin. Their
claim is that the weight reduction is about 40%.
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4. All Plastic FEM [3]
The American Chemistry Council says of fiber reinforced plastics:
Fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials weigh around 50 percent less than steel,
though according to a carbon fiber manufacturer, they are characterized by a higher
absorption of crush energy per kilogram — 100 kJ/kg, compared to steel’s 25 kJ/kg. On
impact, carbon fibers can have four to five times higher energy absorption than steel or
aluminium [5].
Such materials are designed to break crack so as to use up impact energy. The Council
asserts, “An automotive front-end section built from glass-fiber-reinforced polymer
composites passed a key 35 mph barrier crash test performed by the Automotive
Composites Consortium (ACC), a research partnership established by DaimlerChrysler, Ford,
and General Motors [6].”
Metals
Light weight metals (such as magnesium and aluminum), alloys and metal structures, such
as tubes, being injected with plastics, such as polyphenylene ether/polyamide (PPE/PA)
blend for strength, are being used in lie of conventional metals. Compressible steel reduces
the consequences of vehicle object/person impact are designed to meet regulations, such as
the European Pedestrian Impact Phase Two Standards that took effect in 2010. Magnesium
is mixed with aluminum and then formed into geometric structures that have equivalent
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5. strength to older designs using conventional steel [7]. Too, with the design of a collapsible
front as an ultimate shock absorber, the need for conventional metals and solid construction,
with attendant heavy weight, is no longer needed or even wanted, the result being a lighter
(often to more than a third of the weight of a regular component) and safer car.
Magnesium, itself, is strong and durable, as well as being lightweight, so as to hold radiator
and front-hood latching mechanism. The metal is cheaper than plastics, is fully recyclable,
and obviously doesn’t rely on petroleum [8]. Of course, everyone knows about “mag
wheels”, and simply lifting one up and comparing it to the weight of a conventional wheel
will be convincing enough in arguing for using magnesium as a way to make cars lighter. As
a general consideration, magnesium is used for making engine blocks, and considering the
strength needed for that component, it is easily seen that it would be satisfactory for front-
end components, as well.
In its undated report, “Lightweight Front End Structure”, the Auto/Steel Partnership
organization presents front-end rail and bumper construction that significantly reduces
weight but sustains crashes just as well as conventional materials. By stamping in
reinforcement geometry, with thinner metals, there is significant weight loss but strength as
in conventional designs [9]. In addition, strength in the parts is manufactured as needed,
rather than having a uniform density.
Example of reinforcement by geometry Different strengths of a rail
[10]
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6. Hybrid materials
Heavier vehicles cannot be constructed from purely composite materials, as the technology
has not been developed to the point of lowering the cost of construction. Consequently, what
we see is a reliance on GMTs. Research is continuing to develop composites with the
strength of conventional metals. Developments in adhesives have accelerated FEM design
and construction.
Plastics and metals are being united to create building material for components [11].
Where plastics cannot supplant metal in order to reduce weight, the metal can surely be
used with the plastic. In one process, metal is drilled with holes and plastic reinforced with
fibers uses them into which to hold when covering the metal part [12].
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References(Subject is indicated by URL – accessed 22 August 2011)
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy
[2] http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/facilities/imi/magna-nrc-composites-centre/manufacturing-direct-long-
fibre-thermoplastics.html
[3] Courtesy of http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/facilities/imi/magna-nrc-composites-centre/manufacturing-
direct-long-fibre-thermoplastics.html
[4] https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/polymers/articles/-/blogs/driving-plastics-forward-another-mile-stone-
towards-the-all-plastic-car;jsessionid=9AD213EBDB025E2FD69077E5DC86E890.9OphEwv4
[5] http://www.plastics-car.com/frontendvehicle, p. 2
[6] ibid.
[7] http://www.aimme.es/archivosbd/observatorio_oportunidades/super_light_car.pdf
[8] http://www.intlmag.org/showcase/MgShowcase7_Jan09final.pdf
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7. [9] http://investors.smdisteel.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cf
m&CONTENTID=28256
[10] http://investors.smdisteel.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.c
fm&CONTENTID=28256
[11] http://www.ptonline.com/articles/plastic-metal-hybrids-make-headway-on-and-off-the-road
[12] http://www.ptonline.com/articles/plastic-metal-hybrids-make-headway-on-and-off-the-road
Resources (Subject is indicated by URL – accessed 22 August 2011)
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.aimme.es/archivosbd/observatorio_oportunidades/super_li
ght_car.pdf&embedded=true&chrome=true
https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/polymers/articles/-/blogs/driving-plastics-forward-another-mile-stone-
towards-the-all-plastic-car;jsessionid=9AD213EBDB025E2FD69077E5DC86E890.9OphEwv4
http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=6220 – SuperLight Car
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.superlightcar.com/public/docs/20080710_SLC_Final_Con
cept_PUBLISHABLE.pdf&embedded=true&chrome=true
http://www.plastics-car.com/frontendvehicle
http://www.a-sp.org/database/publicationmain.asp - Magnesium
http://www.ncn-uk.co.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=139&tabid=431
http://innovationzealot.typepad.com/files/ct-dec-08-front-end-modules.pdf
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/43178/1/251505730.pdf
&embedded=true&chrome=true
http://www.just-auto.com/analysis/review-of-front-end-modules_id104743.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre-reinforced_plastic
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