The Eurecat technology centre is taking part in the Fatigue4Light (Fatigue modelling and fast testing methodologies to optimise part design and to boost lightweight materials deployment in chassis parts) project. Drawing on a €5,530,292 budget, it is to develop new tests and new computer simulation methods to better estimate the fatigue life of chassis components and select the optimal materials for lighter vehicle chassis.
The project kicked off in February 2021 and over three years is to work on applying new materials tailored to vehicle chassis requirements such as advanced high-strength steels, high-strength aluminium alloys and hybrid metal-fibre reinforced polymeric materials.
The goal is to “reduce vehicle chassis weight compared to current solutions by leveraging advanced materials and addressing eco-design and circular economy issues,” says Eurecat’s scientific director Daniel Casellas.
The project deliverables will enhance new material selection and significantly shorten lead time between material development and the design of a new chassis part.
Eurecat’s Metal and Ceramic Materials Unit is developing new tests, its Advanced Manufacturing Systems Unit is monitoring the performance of the new chassis parts and its Waste, Energy and Environmental Impact Unit is handling circular economy and eco-design aspects.
“The Fatigue4Light project seeks to help build a zero-emission future by promoting design based on numerical simulation tools,” says Lucia Barbu, the project’s coordinator and a researcher at the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE). “Using numerical simulation tools at a design stage can help predict and lock in part performance while minimising production losses by meeting industry needs.”
Fatigue4Light is one of the first projects to address weight reduction in automotive chassis parts, “a critical step towards further progress in electric vehicle lightweighting,” says Barbu. Reducing vehicle weight has a knock-on effect on CO2 emissions, electric vehicle range, driveability and safety.
The project consortium is made up of Eurecat, the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), the Research and Innovation Centre of Sweden (RISE), Luleå University of Technology, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Politecnico di Torino (POLITO), ArcelorMittal, Profilglass, Centre Ricerche Fiat (CRF), the CLN Group’s Magnetto Wheels (MW) division, Composite Service Europe, Gestamp and the Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE).
