Modular Fiber Composite Vehicle Body with Detachable Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fiber composite materials are underutilized in vehicle bodies due to high production costs, complex manufacturing processes, and difficulties in repair and recycling, limiting their sustainable integration and reuse.
Innovation Solution
Designing a vehicle body with a central element made predominantly of fiber composite materials, featuring detachable connections to crash structures, allowing for non-destructive disassembly and reuse, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional fiber composite repair and recycling challenges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fiber composite materials are used in vehicle bodies, then strength and service life are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle body is divided into modular components: a permanent fiber composite central element and replaceable crash structures. This segmentation allows the complex fiber composite part to be manufactured once and reused, while simpler metal crash structures are replaced after damage, reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fiber composite central element serves multiple functions: structural support, safety cell, and mounting platform for various crash structures. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall vehicle body construction.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If fiber composite materials are used in vehicle bodies, then service life is improved, but repairability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the durable fiber composite central element from the replaceable crash structures, the design enables easy repair through replacement of damaged metal parts without affecting the permanent composite structure, significantly improving repairability while maintaining long service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The crash structures are extracted as separate, replaceable components from the fiber composite body. This allows damaged crash structures to be removed and replaced without repairing the complex composite material, making the vehicle easily repairable while preserving the long-lived composite structure.
3Strength
If fiber composite materials are used in vehicle bodies, then strength is improved, but recyclability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle body is segmented into a permanent fiber composite central element and replaceable crash structures. After vehicle end-of-life, the valuable fiber composite structure can be recovered and reused in new vehicles, while metal crash structures are recycled separately, improving overall recyclability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables recovery of the high-value fiber composite central element for reuse in new vehicles, while the damaged crash structures are discarded and replaced. This selective recovery approach maximizes the value retention and recyclability of the vehicle body components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a body structure module (1) for a motor vehicle, comprising: a fiber composite central element (2), a front interface (3) designed for damage-free detachable connection of the fiber composite central element to a front-end crash structure (5); and a rear interface (4) designed for damage-free detachable connection of the fiber composite central element to a rear-end crash structure (6), wherein the fiber composite central element, the front interface, and the rear interface are designed to be reusable for a service life of several vehicle life cycles. The present invention further relates to a modular vehicle body (20) with such a body structure module (1), a method for repairing such a vehicle body, and a method for recycling such a vehicle body.