Virtual Manufacturing versus Challenges in Lightweight Vehicle Programmes

Introduction

The paper presents a brief summary of three different R&D projects carried out in collaboration between ESI Group and a number of academic and industrial partners. All projects are directly related to producing parts for lightweight vehicles whilst each one focuses on a different application, material or manufacturing process. It also provides an answer for the question above by demonstrating how a new simulation-based-solution is been developed based on existing tools. Respectively, the first project (LoCoLite) focuses on producing complex shape parts using hot forming of aluminium sheets; the second (Grain- Refiner) focuses on improving properties of sand-casted aluminium components by adding a novel grain-refiner; and the third one focuses on the use of multiaxial non-crimp fabrics of carbon fibres in automotive.

Authors

Rajab Said - ESI Group UK
Jean-Luc Babeau - ESI Group France
Ole Koeser - ESI Group Switzerland
Pierre Marquette - ESI Group France
Hari Babu Nadendla - Brunel University London
Douglas Watson - Jaguar Land Rover, UK
Mohamed Mohamed - Imperial College London
Damian Szegda - Impression Technologies, UK
Andreas Endruweit - University of Nottingham
Tom James - Formax Ltd, UK

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