Material Property of Metal Skin - Sheet Molding Compound Laminate Structures for the Production of Lightweight Vehicles Body Frame

The present research work focusses on both the material characterization and the preliminary test applications for hybrid structures made of high strength steel skin and sheet molding compound (SMC) core, aimed for the production of lightweight automotive body frames. A full material characterization has been carried out in order to determine the properties of the single materials, high strength steel and sheet molding compound. In addition, laminate specimens made of steel skin and SMC core have been manufactured utilizing the compression molding process and the relevant stress-strain behavior have been tested. By means of shear test, the shear strength resistance of the adhesive, utilized for the cohesion between these two materials, have been also characterized. In order to test the proposed hybrid material for the application in the automotive industry, the case of a commercial vehicle B-pillar component have been considered and tested by means of FEM analysis. By simulating the severe load conditions to which the B-pillar has to stand, the numerical analysis implemented in ANSYS will show how the developed material is able to withstand the same load conditions of the original full-steel one while granting a considerable reduction of weight.