Lightweight Design (Leichtbau)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kröger

Institut für Maschinenelemente, Konstruktion und Fertigung
Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg

4.4 Material and production lightweight principle (Stoff- und Fertigungsleichtbau)

The material lightweight principle

(Stoffleichtbau) combined with the
production lightweight principle
(Fertigungsleichtbau) discuss the used
material in close combination with the
question how the lightweight designed
parts can be produced. Not every
designed shape of a component can be
produced or can only produced with very
high effort and cost. Therefore, it is
important to find shapes, which can be
produced very well using the favoured Fig. 4.4-1: Material, production and
material. design have to fit to each other
The design, the material and the production process must match, see Fig. 4.4-1. Some
examples are given in Table 4.4-1.

Tab. 4.4-1: Examples of combinations of material, production process and design

Material Production process Design
Mild steel, e.g. S 235 Turning, Differential design
milling
Cast iron, e.g. GJL-250 Casting Integral design
(GG25)
Fiber reinforced plastics, Resin transfer molding Integral design
e.g. CFK (RTM)
Metal powder, e.g. Stainless Additive Manufacturing Integral design
steel 1.4301 (3D-printing)

Production engineers have investigated to find new production processes for lightweight
design. Therefore, we discuss some production processes to get some ideas for new
lightweight designs:

1. Sheet metals (Bleche)

• Sheet metal forming (Blechumformung) like deep drawing (Tiefziehen) can produce
complex geometries and components with double curvatures,

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 • Tailored blanks (Tailored Blanks) combine sheets of different materials or different
tick sheets, see Fig. 4.4-2 (left). Aim is to use thick sheets only at the necessary
sections,
• Tailored rolled blanks (ungleichmäßig gewalzte Bleche) are sheet metals with a
continuous thickness, which optimize the thickness in respect to lightweight design,
see Fig. 4.4-2 (right).

Fig. 4.4-2: Production process for tailored blanks (left) and a B-pillar (B-Säule) of a car with
tailored rolled blanks (right)

2. Profiles (Profile)
• Extrusions (Strangpressen) are made of Aluminium or plastics and have a complex
geometry, cp. Fig. 4.3-16 (right),
• Rolled profiles (gewalzte Profile) have a complex geometry like a T-profile or a U-
profile, new rolling machines can change the profile geometry with time, which results
in longitudinal profile design,
• Hydroforming (Innenhochdruckumformen) can produces tubular components with
different diameters or not circular tube geometries using high pressure inside the tube
during hydroforming. A nice example is a handlebar (Lenker) of a bike, which have a
larger diameter,  32 mm, in the middle section where the largest moments and the
clamping appear than at both ends,  22 mm, see Fig. 4.4-3. Smaller ends reduce
the mass of all clamped parts like the brake levers.

Fig. 4.4-3: Hydroforming process (left) and hydroformed handlebar of a bike (right) [Kröger]

3. Casted component (Gussbauteil)

• Precision casting (Feinguss) can build thickness 𝑡 < 2 𝑚𝑚 of cast iron,
• Pressure diecasting (Druckguss) of Aluminium,
• Injection moulding (Spritzguss) of plastics, cp. Fig. 4.3-16 (left).

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4. Fiber reinforced plastics components (Faserverbundbauteile)

• Hand Laminating (Handlaminieren) can be used to build large structures like sailing
boat bodys with relatively small fibre volume percentage,
• Preprag technology uses fibre layers pre-impregnated with resins (vorimprägnierte
Fasern), which are cured under temperature and pressure in an autoclave,see Fig.
4.4-4,
• Resin transfer moulding (RTM) (Harzinfiltrieren) results in higher fibre volume
percentages.

Fig. 4.4-4: Carbon fibre reinforced plastic steering wheel of the student race car (Racetech
Racing Team TU Bergakademie Freiberg e.V.) build by preprag technology [Picture: Kröger]

5. Additive manufactured components (Additive gefertigte Bauteile)

• Selective Laser Melting (SLM) (Laser-Strahlschmelzen) and Electron Beam Melting
(EBM) (Elektronen-Strahlschmelzen) uses metal powder which is melded by laser or
electron beam. In each powder layer of about 50 µm, the powder is melted only in the
required region. Layer by layer the component is produced which can have very
complex geometry,
• Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM) uses a printhead to print thermoplastics layer by layer to a
complex component.

Fig. 4.4-5: Example of a complex component build by additive manufacturing at TU Freiberg

[Picture Kröger]
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Joining technology (Fügetechnik)
A further important production topic is the joining technology for lightweight design. Especially,
in differential design and composite structure design many parts has to be joint together.
Established joining technologies are used, cp. DIN 8593, as well new solutions especially for
composite structures. Therefore, we discuss some joining techniques to get some ideas in
respect of lightweight designs:
I. Welding (Schweißen)
Welding is a typical joining technology. Spot-welding (Punktschweißen) is frequently applied
for sheet metal. A disadvantage can be the necessary overlap (Überlapp) which increases the
mass. Therefore, a butt welding (Stumpfschweißen) of sheets could be a lightweight solution,
see Fig. 4.4-6.

Fig. 4.4-6: Example of spot-welding with overlap (left) and butt welding without overlap (right)

II. Glueing (Kleben)

Glueing needs very clean surfaces and the glue depends on the materials which have to be
joined. Especially in composite structures glueing is frequently used because it joins different
kinds of materials. If two sheets should be glued to each other an overlap is necessary which
increases the mass of the component. A gluing at a butt (Stumpf) is not useful because it
carries no large forces.
III. Screwing and riveting (Verschrauben, Vernieten)
In addition to classical riveting, blind riveting (Blindnieten), expanding riveting (Spreiznieten)
and punch riveting (Stanznieten) etc. can be used in lightweight design, see Fig. 4.4-7 and
4.4-8 (left). Clinch connecting (Clinch-Verbindungen) fix two sheets on each other without a
rivet only by a special deformation process, see Fig. 4.4-8 (right). To join two sheets
Flowform screwing (Fließformschrauben) is very efficient, because they built the hole and
thread (Gewinde) themselves, see Fig.4.4-9. The thread has a larger length than the
thickness of the sheet due to plastic deformation. The flowform screwing can be simply
resolved which is an advantage.

Fig. 4.4-7: Blind riveting process (left) and expanding riveting process (right)

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 Fig. 4.4-8: Punch rivet process (left) and clinch connecting process (right)

Fig. 4.4-9: Flowform screwing process

IV. Crimp connections (Verbindungen durch plastische Umformung)

Crimp connection are built by plastic deformation of the parts to connect them together like
flanging (Bördeln) or folded joint (Falzverbindung) of sheets, e.g. of tin cans (Blechdosen).

Fig. 4.4-10: Example of a flanging process (left) and a tin can as a flanging application (right)
[Kröger]

Many other joining technologies can be useful for lightweight design like hook-and-loop
fastener (Kletterschluss) or snap-fit (Schnappverschluss) etc.

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Exercises:
a) Think about some further combinations of production process and material!
b) What could be the reason for the different thicknesses and materials of a B-pillar?
c) Which application of rivets do you know?
d) What has to be considered in a joint of aluminium and steel? Which joining technology
you would use?