FRP Composite Battery Carriers for Commercial Vehicles

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The current battery carrier for commercial vehicles is made of steel and is designed to hold two batteries weighing approximately 80 kg to 100 kg. However, this battery carrier faces several issues including corrosion, chemical reactivity, high maintenance requirements and its heavy weight. To tackle these challenges, a fiber-reinforced composite battery carrier is designed and developed specifically for commercial vehicles. The objective is to identify a solution that can meet the performance requirements of both static and dynamic loading, thereby reducing the overall weight. The proposed composite battery carrier offers a lightweight design, requires minimal maintenance, possesses high tensile strength and stiffness and is corrosion and chemical resistant. Furthermore, it provides the flexibility to integrate battery cover locking arrangements for added convenience and security. The structure of the composite battery carrier comprises a continuous glass fiber reinforced composite with a polyester resin matrix. Detailed finite element analysis is conducted to ensure optimal performance under static and dynamic conditions. Altair Hypermesh is used for pre-processing, while the Altair OptiStruct solver is utilized for structural analysis, lay-up design and optimization. The laminate design incorporates an orthotropic material model, considering various lay-up configurations. Upon finalizing the lay-up design, a prototype model is manufactured. The manufacturing process employs the Vacuum Bagging Process. As a result, the composite battery carrier achieves a substantial weight reduction of approximately 30% to 50% compared to a steel battery carrier.</div></div>