PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR A SAFETY-CRITICAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENT

Automotive wheels molded with fiber reinforced composite materials have been researched and aggressively tested around the world, in the laboratory, and in field service conditions, since the research for lighter weight automotive components began during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Until recently, however, composite wheels have not been introduced successfully in the marketplace. Many challenges were presented as an attempt was made to introduce a nontraditional material to an application critical to the safe operation of today's automobile. Composite wheels, composed of heterogeneous materials, contain many fibers which can carry high stress loads for long periods of time even with the presence of cracks. This sets them apart from metal wheels, composed of homogeneous materials, which can fail rapidly after a crack is initiated. The first North American commercial original equipment application of fiber reinforced composite wheels occurred during 1989 and continue service without problems. This paper emphasizes some of the development and manufacturing steps that were involved in achieving the first production composite wheel for the automotive industry.