Solid4E research project examines manufacturing methods for e-vehicles
TECOSIM is participating in the research project “Solid4E – enhancing the maturity of solid-state joining processes to ensure resource-efficient e-mobility concepts through multilateral technology transfer”. Within the project, TECOSIM is developing a simulation and design method for structural durability and static strength in copper-aluminium friction-welded joints. Cooperation partners are the Materials Testing Institute at the University of Stuttgart (Materialprüfungsanstalt MPA der Universität Stuttgart), several medium-sized industrial companies and associated partners Daimler, Porsche and Bosch.
Innovative lightweight design and manufacturing principles are playing an increasingly greater role in hybrid lightweight construction for e-mobility. Friction welding, a solid-phase joining technique, is used to join different materials (copper, aluminium) and semi-finished product shapes into integrally optimised components in production of highly functionally integrated axles in electric powertrains.
During friction welding, a heterogeneous Cu-Al intermetallic compound is formed in a mixing zone, which has special metallurgical characteristics in its solidification structure. Approaches are being developed to map this mixing zone conservatively through a plausible model, counterbalanced by experimentally determined material properties.
Up until now, there has been no method for evaluating and designing components with friction-welded joints in CAE-supported virtual product development.
As part of the research project Solid4E – enhancing the maturity of solid-state joining processes to ensure resource-efficient e-mobility concepts through multilateral technology transfer, TECOSIM is developing a simulation and design method for structural durability and static strength in friction-welded copper-aluminium joints.
Scheduled to last three years, from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2026, this joint research project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate (BMWK) as part of the Lightweight Design Technology Transfer Programme (TTP-LB) (funding code 03LB3069J).
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