Sidewall for a Hybrid Dump Truck Study

The increasing cost of fossil fuels and environmental regulations have increased the need for energy efficiency in the transport sector. Increasing the efficiency of good shipped overland can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of the motor and aerodynamics of the vehicles and by decreasing the mass of the vehicle through lightweight design allowing for a greater shipment capacity. The transport of goods in by truck is limited by the volume of the goods for cargo, but for bulk goods such as scrap materials or construction excavation the weight of the vehicle and cargo is often at the allowable limit. This article describes the design and manufacturing of a lightweight dump truck sidewall made of CFRP. In addition, an estimation of possible solutions for serial production of this part is given as well as an outlook to further investigations on this project.