Lightweight construction is inevitable in transportation engineering for economical and ecological reasons. The lightweight construction potential of CFRP surpasses that of metallic materials for the specific strength, stiffness, possible energy absorption, damping, and swinging strength. Production procedures on the basis of injection molding procedure, textile techniques, and stitching techniques are presented and are combined to a fabrication technology. The target set by aeronautical industry is a weight reduction of 30 % and a cost reduction of 40 % compared to metallic lightweight structures. Composites will only be able to achieve general acceptance in the fields of railway, automotive, and mechanical engineering, if the implemented lightweight construction is made profitable by new production concepts.
Industrie Management | Volume 20 | 2004 | Edition 6 | Pages 19-22
