Revolutionary Ease
Fiber composite
chassis from ZF
ZF is working on a functionally integrated lightweight chassis with 30 percent less weight than a conventional steel chassis. The core component of the concept study is a wheel-guiding transverse leaf spring made of fiberglass.
More than Just a Trend
The wheel-guiding transverse leaf spring takes over the steering function as well as absorbing and load-bearing tasks.
A car axle made of fiberglass? Anyone who thinks fiber composites only belong in light car bodies and racing cars will frown at the thought of their use in load-bearing parts. But for decades these materials have shown what they’re made of in aviation. Properly constructed, they exceed the strength of high-tensile steel. At the same time, they can also have built in elasticity – a positive aspect of their extremely resilient structure. The versatility of fiber-composite materials also makes them interesting for use in chassis: Durability and high functionality are needed here; at the same time, lightweight structures offer many advantages. ZF brings together these seemingly contradictory qualities in a lightweight concept study for a passenger car rear axle.
New Material – New Construction
Where in the conventional chassis a complex multi-link and damper concept provides for optimum road handling, only one component is needed in the ZF study – the wheel-guiding transverse leaf spring. This component integration reduces the complexity of the axle; installing it is much simpler. Fewer parts mean less weight. This is made possible thanks to the extremely light and flexible fiberglass: Based on a thorough development process, the engineers found the right fiber composite for the rear axle. The study is more than a mere demonstration of knowledge: At comparable cost and comfort, large scale production will soon be economically viable.
Further information
Contact
Holger Kirsch
Trade Press Passenger Cars
Tel. +49 7541 77-2488
Fax. +49 7541 77-90 2488
E-mMail:
holger.kirsch@zf.com
