METAL-PLASTIC LAMINATES FOR VEHICLE WEIGHT REDUCTION

A metal-plastic laminate is a formable, lightweight, and potentially low-cost sheet material for stiffness-limited applications. Its advantages include: sound deadening, heat insulation, low forming loads, and compatibility with many existing manufacturing processes. Laminates with steel faces offer up to 70% weight reduction when replacing hot rolled steel sheet. Aluminum faces cost more and offer little weight savings, although aluminum is more cost-effective for replacing cold rolled steel sheet less than 0.8 mm. thick. In replacing steel sheet of intermediate thicknesses, the choice between steel and aluminum faces is that which best satisfies both weight and cost objectives. Other selection factors for laminate face material and thickness include formability, laminate width, and corrosion and dent resistance. Although core material mechanical properties are not important to general panel stiffness, they become influential for certain performance requirements: panel deflection between closely spaced supports, local denting, performance at elevated or low temperatures, and resistance to an aggressive environment. Potential limitations to laminate use include forming severity, weldability, in-plane strength, corrosion, sheet width, dent resistance, and scrap value.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at SAE Congress and Exposition, Detroit, 25-29 February 1980.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • Miller, W K
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 12 p.
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aluminum; Costs; Laminates; Lightweight materials; Motor vehicle bodies; Panels; Steel
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile bodies
• Subject Areas: Finance; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389102
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE 800077, HS-029 589
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 28 1984 12:00AM