To meet stringent European and U.S. environmental legislation, the automotive industry has been actively researching methods of improving the fuel economy of their vehicles, in order to reduce harmful pollutant emissions. One of the most logical ways to achieve this is to reduce the weight of the kerbside weight. This is becoming increasingly difficult; as customers demand more comfort and safety, such as air-conditioning, side impact bars etc. Despite the demands of the customer there have been significant advances in technology that have allowed vehicle weight to be considerably reduced. One significant area of light-weighting technology, which as been researched in this Engineering Doctorate thesis, is that of fatigue in relation to possible down gauging. The materials studied in this thesis were high strength sheet steels for application in structural body-in-white and suspension components. Fatigue has been a much research phenomenon since the early 1800's. This thesis begins with an in-depth practical and finite element analysis study of simple small-scale tests carried out on unwelded and spot welded sheet steels. Following on from this, tests were carried out on more complex components, through to the testing of a full-scale automotive production component. With increasing demand for safety and weight-reduction, the fatigue of automotive components has never been considered to be as important. With many automotive manufacturers inclining towards lighter vehicles through the use of thinner higher strength sheet steels, it is vital that the durability of components made from high strength sheet steel be analysed. It is hoped that this thesis will go some way in assisting and reassuring manufacturers in the development of durable down gauged automotive components.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:636256 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Chucas, D. G. |
| Publisher | Swansea University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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