Audi to use suspension springs of glass fiber-reinforced polymer instead of steel for ~40% weight savings

Audi to use suspension springs of glass fiber-reinforced polymer instead of steel for ~40% weight savings

Audi to use suspension springs of glass fiber-reinforced polymer instead of steel for ~40% weight savings 30 June 2014 Audi will introduce new, lightweight suspension springs made of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) in an upper mid-size model before the end of the year. The GFRP spring is some 40% lighter than a steel spring. The GFRP spring (left), which Audi developed in collaboration with an Italian supplier, even looks different than a steel spring (right). The GFRP unit is light green, the fiber strand is thicker than the wire of a steel spring, and it has a slightly larger overall diameter with a lower number of coils. Click to enlarge. Whereas a steel spring for an upper mid-size model weighs nearly 2.7 kilograms (6.0 lb), a GFRP spring with the same properties weighs just approximately 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb). Together the four GFRP springs thus reduce the weig...

Full article: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/06/20140630-audi.html