Computational Analysis From a Front Chassis Rail Made of Carbon/Epoxy Composite Material 2017-36-0380

The advancement of new materials in the automotive industry has enabled a new era for the security sector, making possible a replacement of conventional metallic materials by alternative materials that have good mechanical resistance. In this way, it is possible to reduce the dead weight of the car, reduce consumption and manufacturing costs. It is currently widely used high strength steel alloys such as AISI 1018 or aluminum on the frontal chassis rails also called longitudinal beam, essential element to ensure passenger safety. The objective of the work is to analyze the behavior of equivalent stresses between a longitudinal beam made of composite material of high resistance, as CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) and aluminum alloy. Therefore, the work verifies the column deformation based on static analysis and the force applied in the study is equivalent to the compressive tests obtained from literature. The results show the distribution of the equivalent stresses along the aluminum column and for the CFRP at different laminate orientations and thickness. Through other literature, the work makes a comparative and experimental analysis of the behavior of the laminate after a microbuckling through the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results show that the best orientation for replacement of the metal material would be quasi-isotropic material [45/90/-45/0]_S, proving to be a good substitute for future applications at the vehicle safety component.