BASF collaborates to innovate lightweighting of vehicle components

BASF, L&L Products and Stellantis have been recognized for their lightweighting success on the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee composite channel
.
Launched in May, the car has just won the prestigious Altair Enlighten award for achievement in reducing vehicle weight
.

Transmission Mounting Systems (TMS) is an area of ​​focus when investigating opportunities to reduce mass and improve durability without compromising safety performance
.
The Composite Tunnel Reinforcement (CTR) is located on the underbody of the vehicle and is part of the overall TMS
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For example, in the event of a minor collision with an oncoming vehicle, the CTR transfers the energy load from the outer rail to the transmission mounting beam, improving field performance and performance in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) standard Small Offset Rigid Barrier Test
.

The use of continuous compounding system (CCS) pultrusion technology and BASF's polyurethane chemistry are key factors in the success of CTR
.
CCS combines fiber-reinforced pultruded composite carriers with highly engineered sealants and adhesives in a two-dimensional profile
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This is a continuous process for creating straight or curved composite profiles reinforced with continuous fibers and mats
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The system is designed to provide strength, stiffness and stiffness to lightweight structures
.

“CCS enabled L&L Products and Stellantis to realize a new design that reduces packaging and mass, and uses the surrounding environment on the vehicle to help transfer the load to the CTR,” said Hank Richardson, product engineering manager at L&L Products.
“I We also made technological improvements to achieve an industry first in processing speed, as we doubled the typical profile pultrusion output
.
”

This is also the first time that L&L products use CCS technology and BASF's Elastocoat 74850 polyurethane pultrusion system
.

"When used in such applications, our elastomeric coating polyurethane chemistry combined with continuous glass fibers has a superior strength-to-weight ratio compared to ultra-high-strength steel," said Chris Korson, market segment manager, chassis, performance materials at BASF , "We have also developed a new computer simulation method to accurately capture the additional loading after composite failure using our proprietary CAE modeling software Ultrasim
.
"

Stellantis chassis engineering manager Brian Dwyer said: "We're always looking to improve the design, functionality and efficiency of our vehicles
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It's not easy to find a weight reduction solution that improves overall performance, but that's exactly what we're doing with the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Compound.
done on the channel
.
"