2020 SAE Congress - Technical Paper Abstract "Smart
Solutions for Electric Vehicle Suspensions" Session: Steering,
Chassis and Suspension Authors: Peter Kuhn, SGL Technologies GmbH,
Meitingen, Germany William D. Pinch, SGL Technologies LLC,
Charlotte, NC USA Abstract: Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)
Programs are becoming the vehicle of choice globally. This is
driven by heightened vehicle emissions requirements and improved
fuel economy performance. Vehicle requirements will be rolled down
to Subsystems and Components. Subsystem requirements will be
divided into upper and lower control planes with Kinematic
performance targets discussed. Various types of front and rear
suspensions will be identified and analyzed including MacPherson
& Chapman Strut, Short-Long Arm (SLA), and various Multi-link
arrangements. At the component level the use of innovative,
lightweight composite materials provides a significant advantage.
Besides ensuring technical feasibility, implementation on high
volume production vehicles is essential for competing with aluminum
and steel materials. Within suspension, Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Polymer (CFRP) suspension links as well as lateral and longitudinal
leaf springs made from Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP)
materials are capable solutions. In addition, the low mass offered
by composite materials contributes to improved Vehicle handling and
ride. Based on the experience of the successful development and
series manufacturing of the lateral leaf springs for the Volvo
Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the paper will
discuss recent developments in composite leaf springs: • Design for
a progressive longitudinal leaf spring made more efficient by
eliminating multiple steel leaves in favor of a much more efficient
single-leaf structure in GFRP • Holistic approach of GFRP leaf
spring development process focusing on material characterization,
simulation, manufacturing and component testing • Adjustable Height
Suspension with a simple, low mass & cost mechanization
Innovation Value The presentation will give a detailed look at
evolving EV architectures including new and innovative solutions at
the Vehicle, Subsystem and Component levels. Ground breaking
applications in component design using composite materials will be
highlighted as optimized and tailored solutions for Electric
Vehicles. Peter Kuhn William D. Pinch SGL Technologies LLC (313)
648-7816 September 2, 2019