Parts Consolidation of Automotive Front Crossmember: From Two-Piece CFRP Design to One-Piece Design

As demand for fuel efficiency rises, an increasing number of automotive companies are replacing their existing metal designs with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) redesigns. Due to the handling and manufacturing processes associated with CFRP materials, engineers have more design freedom to create complex, light-weight designs, which would be infeasible to manufacture using metal. Additionally, it is likely that by redesigning with CFRP, many steel assemblies can be consolidated to significantly fewer parts, simplifying or potentially eliminating the assembly process. When designing an automotive crossmember using CFRP materials, designers often aim for a two-piece design (top and bottom), while utilizing reinforcement material where needed. The joining of these two pieces is typically accomplished with many mechanical fasteners and adhesives, significantly increasing the part count and the manufacturing complexity. The objective of this research project is to redesign an existing steel front crossmember to a one-piece CFRP design, removing the need for most of the mechanical fasteners and adhesives. While a reduction in stiffness was observed in the final design, strength requirements were met, and the overall mass was reduced by over 25%. This work shows that a one-piece CFRP crossmember is possible and should be further explored in the automotive industry.