Stiff Composite Vehicle Panel with Woven Fabric and Thermoplastic Films
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for vehicle components that offer specific stiffness and toughness while minimizing weight and cost, which existing composite materials fail to achieve effectively at a low price point.
Innovation Solution
A composite material with an alternating pattern of woven fabric and biaxially oriented thermoplastic films, where each grouping comprises warp and weft tape elements interwoven and bonded with a strain-oriented olefin polymer and thermoplastic layers, respectively, providing enhanced strength and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional composite materials are used to achieve specific stiffness and toughness, then the structural performance is improved, but the cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining woven fabric layers and biaxially oriented thermoplastic film layers. The woven fabric provides stiffness and structural integrity, while the thermoplastic films add toughness and resistance to unraveling. This composite approach achieves the desired mechanical properties without excessive weight by selecting lightweight base materials and optimizing the layer configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material properties to different regions of the composite structure. The woven fabric layers provide localized stiffness where structural support is needed, while the thermoplastic film layers provide localized toughness and damage resistance. The alternating layer structure allows each material to perform its optimal function in its specific location within the composite.
2Strength
If traditional composite materials are used to achieve specific stiffness and toughness, then the structural performance is improved, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines relatively inexpensive woven fabric with biaxially oriented thermoplastic films to create a cost-effective composite. Both materials are commercially available and can be processed using standard manufacturing techniques. The alternating layer structure maximizes the performance benefits of each material while maintaining cost efficiency through straightforward fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameters of each layer to achieve the desired mechanical properties at minimum cost. By carefully selecting the thickness of woven fabric layers and thermoplastic film layers, the design achieves the required stiffness and toughness without using excessive material quantities, thereby controlling manufacturing costs.
3Strength
If the composite thickness is increased to improve stiffness, then the structural performance is improved, but the weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The alternating composite structure allows stiffness to be enhanced through additional layers without linearly increasing weight. The woven fabric layers provide high stiffness-to-weight ratio, while the thermoplastic films provide toughness with minimal weight penalty. This layered composite approach achieves the required stiffness through optimized layer stacking rather than simply increasing overall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent places stiffness-providing woven fabric layers and toughness-providing thermoplastic layers in specific positions within the composite structure. This local optimization ensures that each layer contributes maximally to the overall stiffness without requiring uniform thickness increases throughout the entire composite, thereby minimizing weight while achieving the target stiffness performance.
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
The composite material achieves a thickness of over 5 mm with high stiffness, resistance to unraveling, and improved tear resistance, suitable for applications where flexing is undesirable, while maintaining a cost-effective solution.
Implementation Method 1
The warp tape elements and weft tape elements within the woven fabric layer are interwoven and crossover each other at crossover points and the warp elements are bonded to the weft elements within the woven fabric layer at the crossover points
Implementation Method 2
The tape elements comprise a base layer of a strain oriented olefin polymer disposed between covering layers of a heat fusible olefin polymer
Implementation Method 3
covering layers of a heat fusible olefin polymer
Implementation Method 4
The layers within each grouping are bonded together, the woven fabric layers and adjacent biaxially oriented thermoplastic films are bonded together
Implementation Method 5
Each grouping of biaxially oriented thermoplastic films comprises at least one biaxially oriented thermoplastic film
Implementation Method 6
each film comprises a core layer of thermoplastic disposed between covering layers of a thermoplastic able to bond to polypropylene
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle containing a composite which has an alternating pattern containing groupings of woven fabric and groupings of biaxially oriented thermoplastic films. The composite has a thickness of greater than about 5 mm. Each grouping of woven fabric contains at least one woven fabric layer, each woven fabric layer containing tape elements having a base layer of a strain oriented olefin polymer disposed between covering layers of a heat fusible olefin polymer. Each grouping of biaxially oriented thermoplastic films contain at least one biaxially oriented thermoplastic film which has a core layer of thermoplastic disposed between covering layers of a thermoplastic able to bond to polypropylene.