Next Generation of Automotive Crossmember by cOMlding Epoxy SMC with Fibre Steered Preforms (GACOM)

绿色移动性是零净未来的关键。复合材料是提供具有终极性能的轻量化解决方案的关键推动因素。然而，当前的制造技术是昂贵的，并且固有地缓慢，并且在纤维取向分布方面是有限的，因为当前的沉积和铺叠解决方案迫使直线/测地线连续纤维路径。这些问题导致劳动密集型和长期的生产工艺，生产率低，增加能源消耗，生产成本和环境足迹，阻碍了复合材料在汽车中的广泛采用。iCOMAT开发了快速丝束剪切（RTS）工艺，这是一种创新的复合材料自动沉积工艺，可以沿着沿着弯曲路径（纤维转向）沉积宽复合材料带，而不会产生缺陷。RTS的转向能力在结构性能、重量、生产成本和环境足迹方面都有巨大的优势。GACOM是一个为期24个月的合作项目，旨在提供汽车应用中使用的SMC/UD混合复合材料部件的最新制造技术。GACOM建立在LeAFS-SBRI-10004512\中成功证明的骨架/肉体概念基础上。骨架/肉的概念包括使用低成本/低性能的片状复合模塑（SMC）“肉”材料，战略性地用结构单向（UD）碳纤维带作为“骨架”进行增强。这得益于RTS前所未有的转向能力。GACOM将由iCOMAT领导，Hangukmold和KCarbon作为项目合作伙伴。Hangukmold是世界领先的商用车复合材料部件制造专家，是现代和起亚等OEM的现有一级供应商。KCarbon是韩国一家专门从事材料表征和复合材料制造的研究机构。GACOM将利用骨架/肉的概念来制造和验证SMC/UD混合动力汽车前横梁。GACOM的活动包括：* 使用有限元（FE）结构模型进行部件优化 * 制造全尺寸纤维转向混合SMC/UD前车横梁（下/上）* 量化所开发技术的性能、轻量化和经济效益，并进一步开发商业案例GACOM将证明使用RTS可以制造高质量的汽车部件，为汽车复合材料制造提供新的最先进技术。这将产生创新的下一代横梁，更接近结构优化（更轻，性能相同），使用更少的原材料，制造速度更快/更便宜，比目前的先进制造技术。总的来说，GACOM的成功完成将大大提高iCOMAT在汽车领域的地位，并将英国置于汽车复合材料部件先进制造的驾驶员座位上。

Green mobility is key for a Net-Zero future. Composites are a critical enabler to deliver lightweight solutions with ultimate performance. However, current manufacturing technologies are costly and inherently slow as well as limited in terms of fibre orientation distribution, given that current deposition and laying-up solutions force straight/geodesic continuous fibre-paths. These issues result in labour-intensive and prolonged manufacturing processes with low-productivity, increased energy consumption, production costs and environmental footprint, hindering wide adoption of composites in automotive.iCOMAT has developed the Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) process, an innovative composites automated deposition process which deposits wide composite tapes along curved-paths (fibre-steering) without generating defects. RTS's steering capabilities offer tremendous benefits in terms structural performance, weight, production costs and environmental footprint.GACOM is a 24-month collaborative project aiming to deliver the new state-of-the-art in the manufacture of hybrid SMC/UD composite components used in automotive applications. GACOM builds on the skeleton/flesh concept which was successfully demonstrated during LeAFS-SBRI-10004512\. The skeleton/flesh concept includes the use of low-cost/low performance Sheet-Compound-Moulding (SMC) ''flesh'' material strategically reinforced with structural unidirectional (UD) carbon-fibre tapes acting as a ''skeleton''. This is enabled by RTS's unprecedented steering capabilities.GACOM will be led by iCOMAT with Hangukmold and KCarbon as project partners. Hangukmold is a world-leading expert in the manufacturing of commercial vehicle composite parts and is an existing Tier1 supplier of OEMs such as Hyundai and KIA among others. KCarbon is a South-Korean Research-Institute specialising in material characterisation and composites manufacture.GACOM will utilise the skeleton/flesh concept to manufacture and validate a hybrid SMC/UD front car crossmember. GACOM's activities include:* Component optimisation using Finite Element (FE) structural models* manufacture a full-­scale fibre-steered hybrid SMC/UD front car crossmember (lower/upper)* quantify the performance, light-weighting and economic benefits of the developed technology and further develop the business caseGACOM will demonstrate that high­-quality automotive components can be manufactured using RTS, delivering the new state­-of­-the-­art in automotive composites manufacture. This will result in innovative next generation crossmembers that are closer to the structural-optimum (lighter with same performance), use less raw material, and are manufactured faster/cheaper than the current state­-of-­the-­art.Overall, successful completion of GACOM will drastically boost iCOMAT's presence in automotive and place the UK at the driver's seat of advanced manufacturing of automotive composite components.