GOALI/CRISP: Characterization of Geometric Variations for Design and Manufacturing of Aluminum Automotive Space-Frames

9500006王这一学术联系机会奖(GOALI)研究项目将开发一种减少铝制汽车车架几何差异的新方法。空间框架结构是由铝型材以“叮当玩具”的方式制造的，它们承诺重量轻，非常好的强度和耐撞性。小于0.5 mm的紧凑几何变化目标是确保这些结构连接时的良好配合，以便它们在用于制造门洞口等特征时达到其全部强度潜力。该技术方法将使用坐标测量机(CMM)对结构形状进行测量，在偏差形成所需结构形式的几何模型时将这些数据参数化，并根据该表示确定工艺改进的需求，使用快速原型技术修改工具，并预测公差堆叠。要解决的两种涉及曲率的问题：在一种情况下，名义上是带有弓形的直拉伸，在另一种情况下，弯曲拉伸与设计曲率有偏差或可能有多个折弯。这项工作始于1994财年与美国铝业公司的GOALI/EFI奖项，这种合作将继续进行这一研究项目。这将使这些重量轻的结构框架部件能够大量生产，这些部件有助于汽车、飞机或具有重要重量权衡的地方的安全性和燃油经济性。***

9500006 Wang This award for a Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) research project will develop a new methodology for reducing geometric variation in aluminum automotive space frames. The space frame structures are fabricated in a "Tinker Toy" manner from aluminum extrusions, and they promise light weight, very good strength and crash worthiness. Tight geometric variation targets of less than 0.5 mm are are to assure good fit-up when these structures are joined, so they reach their full strength potential when used to fabricate features like door openings. The technical approach will use measurements of the structural shapes made with a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), parameterizing this data as deviaitons form a geometric model of the desired structural form, and from this representation identify the needs for process improvement, modify tooling using rapid prototyping technology, and predicting tolerance stackup. Two of the types of problems that will be attacked that involve curvature: in one case nominally straight extrusions that have a bow, and in the other curved extrusions that have deviations from the design curvature or possibly multiple bends. This work began as a GOALI/EFI award with ALCOA in FY94, and this collaboration will continue with this research project. This will enable high volume manufacture of these light weight, structural frame members that contribute to safety and fuel economy in automobiles, aircraft, or where there are important strength to weight tradeoffs. ***