Carbon Chip Vehicle Knuckle Forming for Faster CFRP Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional manufacturing methods for vehicle knuckles using carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) films face challenges in automation and mass production due to the difficulty in cutting and stacking continuous fiber materials, leading to long processing times and inefficiencies in design and analysis.
Innovation Solution
A method involving hot press forming of carbon chip materials within a die, where bushings are pre-located to simplify the process, and the carbon chips are formed into a vehicle knuckle with improved mechanical properties, reducing weight and enabling mass production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If continuous fiber CFRP films are used to manufacture vehicle knuckles, then weight reduction is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and processing time increase due to cutting and stacking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous fiber CFRP films are segmented into short carbon chips through cutting and chopping processes. This segmentation transforms the material form from continuous sheets to discrete particles, enabling automated feeding and processing while reducing the complexity of manual cutting and stacking operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The material form is changed from continuous fiber to short chip through controlled cutting and chopping. This parameter change in material morphology enables the use of automated injection molding processes, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and processing time while maintaining the weight reduction benefits of carbon fiber materials.
2Strength
If continuous fiber CFRP films are cut and stacked according to fiber orientation, then mechanical properties are maintained, but production time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The carbon fiber materials are pre-processed into chips of specific size ranges (length 10-150mm, width 3-20mm) before injection molding. This preliminary action of cutting and chopping the fibers into standardized chips enables automated feeding and processing, significantly increasing production speed while the fiber orientation is subsequently controlled during the molding process to maintain mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process transitions from static manual stacking of pre-cut films to a dynamic automated injection molding process. The short carbon chips are automatically fed and injected into the mold under controlled conditions, allowing the fiber orientation to be dynamically adjusted during molding to optimize mechanical properties while maintaining high production speed.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple pre-forming and assembling steps are used for CFRP knuckles, then product quality is improved, but manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate manufacturing steps (cutting, stacking, primary pre-forming, pre-processing, assembling, filler insertion, curing) are merged into a single integrated injection molding process. The short carbon chips are directly injected into the mold with bushings pre-installed, forming the complete knuckle component in one operation, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining product quality through controlled processing parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushings are pre-installed into the mold cavities before the carbon chip injection process. This preliminary action allows the bushings to be precisely positioned and integrated into the knuckle structure during the single molding operation, eliminating subsequent assembly steps while ensuring accurate positioning and high product quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a lighter vehicle knuckle with enhanced mechanical properties, improved fuel efficiency, reduced exhaust gas emissions, and increased productivity by simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing production time.
Implementation Method 1
hot press forming the carbon chip materials filled in the die in a high temperature and high pressure environment
Implementation Method 2
hot press forming the carbon chip materials filled in the die in a high temperature and high pressure environment
Data Source
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AI summary
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle knuckle is provided. The vehicle knuckle according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise a knuckle body provided with a wheel bearing installation hole configured to install a wheel bearing, and flanges extending from the knuckle body and used to connect the vehicle knuckle to other parts of a vehicle. The knuckle body and the flanges may be integrally formed of carbon chip materials.