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Design of Prepreg Compression Molding for Manufacturing of CFRTP B-pillar Reinforcement with Equivalent Mechanical Properties to Existing Steel Part

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Abstract

Prepreg compression molding (PCM) is a well-known process for manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced thermo-plastics (CFRTP) products with high quality and production rate. However, the design method used for the development of automotive parts has not been clearly presented. In this paper, we propose a process chain that can satisfy the stiffness of existing steel products. First, the CFRTP product of a B-pillar reinforcement to satisfy the bending deformation of an existing product is designed using a structural analysis and genetic algorithms. Next, forming conditions of the product are determined by a forming analysis. To investigate the feasibility regarding the mass production of the PCM process, a rapid heating and cooling system was applied to PCM molds. The heating and cooling times of the molds were calculated using a computational fluid dynamics analysis. Finally, a CFRTP product was fabricated and its bending deformation, dimensional accuracy, and weight were evaluated.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2019R1A5A6099595), the Korea government (MOE) (NRF-2018R1D1A3B07049114) and the Small and Medium Business Administration of Korea (SMBA) grant funded by the Korea government (MOTIE) (No. S2522059).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PNU-IFAM JRC, Pusan National University, San 30, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Min Lee

  2. Dongnam Regional Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Jinju-Si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea

    Chan-Joo Lee

  3. Division of Precision and Manufacturing Systems, Pusan National University, San 30, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Byung-Min Kim

  4. Graduate School of Convergence Science, Pusan National University, San 30, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Dae-Cheol Ko

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  1. Jung-Min Lee
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Correspondence to Dae-Cheol Ko.

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Lee, JM., Lee, CJ., Kim, BM. et al. Design of Prepreg Compression Molding for Manufacturing of CFRTP B-pillar Reinforcement with Equivalent Mechanical Properties to Existing Steel Part. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 21, 545–556 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-019-00265-z

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