Author(s)

Vinay Papaiya, Jens Schuster, Yousuf Pasha Shaik

Department of Applied Logistics and Polymer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Institute for Plastics and Engineering West Pfalz (IKW), Pirmasens, Germany.

The automobile industry has been searching for vehicles that use less energy and emit fewer pollutants, which has resulted in a high demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Because of their higher strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional steel, using fiber-reinforcement composite materials in automobile bodies has emerged as the most effective strategy for improving fuel efficiency while maintaining safety standards. This research paper examined the utilization of fiber-reinforced composite materials in car bodies to meet the increasing consumer demand for fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. It particularly focused on a carbon-aramid fiber-reinforced composite impact beam for passenger car side door impact protection. Despite the encouraging prospects of the carbon-aramid fiber-reinforced beam, the research uncovered substantial defects in the fabrication process, resulting in diminished load-bearing capacity and energy absorption. As a result, the beam was un-successful in three-point bending tests. This was accomplished by using an I cross-section design with varying thickness because of the higher area moment of inertia. Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) manufacturing process was used and the finished beam underwent to three-point bending tests.

Side-Door Impact Beam, Impact Energy Absorption, Carbon-Aramid Reinforcement, VARTM

Papaiya, V. , Schuster, J. and Shaik, Y. (2024) Development of a Side Door Composite Impact Beam for the Automotive Industry. Open Journal of Composite Materials, 14, 1-14. doi: 10.4236/ojcm.2024.141001.