The development of composite-aluminum hybrid vehicle wheels

Abstract

In this study, the composite-aluminum hybrid vehicle wheel composed of a plain weave carbon/epoxy fabric prepregs was introduced to materialize lightweight and compliant structure for better ride comfort. And the fabrication method for mass production was also presented by using adhesive bonding with a special geometry (groove and protrusion parts). This geometry was designed to enable the adherends (composite and aluminum parts) to be aligned and fixed during the bonding process. The bonding thickness and length were determined by finite element analysis. To evaluate the performance of the composite-aluminum hybrid wheel, various finite element analyses such as rotary bending fatigue, and rolling rim fatigue were carried out. From the finite element analyses it was found that the composite-aluminum hybrid wheel had excellent fatigue resistance and high compliance relative to the existing aluminum wheels. The prototype of the composite-aluminum hybrid wheel was fabricated by using autoclave de-gassing moulding with appropriate aluminum mould. The 10% total weight reduction of the composite-aluminum hybrid wheel was achieved and the structural compliance was enhanced up to 400%.