Optimising automotive components for cost, weight and fatigue durability using residual strain and damage measurements to improve CAE models

Engineering Integrity Society

GKN AutoStructures, Telford
Tuesday, 24 October 2006

PRESS RELEASE

O n the 24th October, 2006 the EIS held a successful one day conference entitled: "Optimising automotive components for cost, weight and fatigue durability using residual strain and damage measurements to improve CAE models". The conference was sponsored and hosted by GKN Autostructures Ltd. at their Hadley Castle site in Telford, UK. The event was well attended by representatives from motor companies, their suppliers and the principal European steel producers.  Delegates representing other manufacturing companies from the transport and bridge construction sectors also benefited from the program.  Following a tour of the facilities, one of the papers was presented in the fatigue and durability laboratory of GKN Autostructures' Advanced Engineering division. 

This one day event was part of a series of conferences run by EIS providing a focus for the development of existing and application of new technologies to stimulate investment. 

Papers were presented on:

Take our heads out of the sand "The Story"
An outline presentation of the need to validate the whole predictive process for delivered material to final component. 
New materials
An outline of new high strength materials: their benefits and problems. 
Accelerated Fatigue testing
An approach to reducing testing time whilst maintaining the correct damage.
Using these technologies
Exploring the use of new technologies to gain familiarisation of material condition, thus assessing the effects of the design process, manufacturing process and vehicle durability cycle on the life of chassis components.
Residuals, damage and predictions
An example of the application of these technologies in an automotive component validation.
Road load data: mission synthesis
An outline of the whole process from  RLD to model prediction. 

Future events will continue this focused approach on development in other industrial sectors; aerospace, marine, etc.

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