Plastic wheels may be coming to production cars
06-21-07, 07:48 AM
#1
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Plastic wheels may be coming to production cars
Plastic wheels may be coming to production cars
Posted on Thursday 21 June 2007
Light-weight alloy wheels may one day be replaced by even lighter plastic wheels or advanced composite versions. A new testing system has been developed that will allow manufacturers to simulate tests for the wheels in the hope that they’ll one day feature on production cars. The benefits of plastic wheels are their lower costs and lighter mass.
Plastic specialists, who developed the wheels using glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) components some time ago, have never been able to test them to meet industry safety regulations. However, that may change with a new simulation developed by Europe’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research facility.
According to a department manager at Fraunhofer, Andreas Büter, who spoke recently with reporters from Automobilwoche, the simulations use tomography imaging to determine the length, curvature and density of the glass fibers used in the wheel. Those parameters, he says, are crucial for the firmness and maximum stress of the material.
This will allow them to forecast how the wheel may react to impacts to a curb or from a crash, as well as long-term reliability. So far, some prototype examples have been tested successfully beyond 250,000km.
Posted on Thursday 21 June 2007
Light-weight alloy wheels may one day be replaced by even lighter plastic wheels or advanced composite versions. A new testing system has been developed that will allow manufacturers to simulate tests for the wheels in the hope that they’ll one day feature on production cars. The benefits of plastic wheels are their lower costs and lighter mass.
Plastic specialists, who developed the wheels using glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) components some time ago, have never been able to test them to meet industry safety regulations. However, that may change with a new simulation developed by Europe’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research facility.
According to a department manager at Fraunhofer, Andreas Büter, who spoke recently with reporters from Automobilwoche, the simulations use tomography imaging to determine the length, curvature and density of the glass fibers used in the wheel. Those parameters, he says, are crucial for the firmness and maximum stress of the material.
This will allow them to forecast how the wheel may react to impacts to a curb or from a crash, as well as long-term reliability. So far, some prototype examples have been tested successfully beyond 250,000km.
06-21-07, 10:36 AM
#4
sounds like a good idea, but I don't see how it could be cheaper than a cast alloy wheel... lighter maybe, but cheaper? some wheel manufacturers sell 18" alloy wheels to me for $75-$80 each... granted, they are cheaply made but you get the point... I don't think GRP is going to be cheaper than that?
06-21-07, 12:52 PM
#6
Well, the bicycles used them for more than 10 years and the motorbikes used them for quite some times, too. BUT they are more expensive than the alloy counterparts, I would think it would be possible for smaller/lighter cars to used them for now, until the cost issue comes down for more load demanding bigger/heaveir cars....
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