"The Mobility Alliance" is a strategic alliance between Henkel, Germany and global automotive engineering service provider RLE International, to promote automotive innovation. The alliance has verified high-performance structural foam in automotive bodies and The potential for lightweight applications in shutters. According to research, fiber-reinforced polymer components with structural foams and reinforcements can reduce weight per vehicle by more than 40 kg compared to traditional all-metal designs.
As the automotive industry continues to focus on lightweighting, the "reengineering" of body parts, the largest parts in vehicles, has become increasingly important. Lightweighting can reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, but engineering restrictions on thickness and steel grade are an industry challenge. This is because the reduction in thickness may lead to the failure to meet the required mechanical strength and problems in collision protection. The Mobile Transport Alliance is addressing this challenge with new perspectives and new processes.
David Caro, Global Engineering Director of OEM Design for Henkel Automotive and Transportation explained the "Mobile Alliance" process, "We took a new approach by replacing traditional all-metal designs with hybrid fiber and structural foam reinforced polymer solutions To study the possibility of overcoming these limitations. The results of the study confirm that by selectively using foam and reinforcement materials to optimize the stiffness of the fiber-reinforced plastic frame or carrier, we can achieve even greater performance without compromising typical crash safety Weight loss, and more competitive costs. "
The project includes all the main body and opening and closing parts of the sports utility vehicle, including bumpers, fenders, pillars, doors, side panels and tailgates. Hybrid components are molded with a higher percentage of fiber-reinforced polymer and selective reinforcement made of Henkel's epoxy Teroson EP structural foam into a sturdy frame or carrier. The foam is injected into the carrier according to the preset sections, expands in the electrophoresis furnace, and forms a rigid connection between the hybrid body-in-white and the adjacent components.
The crash simulations conducted in this study strictly followed stringent international automotive standards, and the hybrid design using Henkel's Teroson EP structural foam passed all these tests, while significantly reducing weight compared to traditional all-metal components. In some cases, the performance of partially mixed structural plastic and foam solutions, including side doors, even exceeded expectations compared to an all-aluminum design.