| Abstract: | Objective of this study was to develop basic techniques in order to apply aluminum sandwich sheets for an automotive hood
part. The aluminum sandwich sheet is the material fabricated by adhering two aluminum skins to one polypropylene core. When
it has the same bending stiffness as a steel sheet, it is 65% lighter than the steel sheet and 30% lighter than an aluminum
alloy sheet. Therefore, it is notified exclusively as good substitutive materials for a steel body to improve the fuel efficiency.
Through aluminum sandwich sheet, however, it has relatively lower formability than that of the steel sheet for automotive
application. In this study, we developed application techniques of the aluminum sandwich sheet for automotive hood. The various
formability evaluations were carried out in order to secure the fundamental data for the measurement of sheet metal forming
and the establishment of optimum application conditions of the sandwich sheet. From these results, it was found that the sandwich
sheet could reduce the weight and maintain the flexural rigidity simultaneously comparing to the steel sheet. |
