Optimization of the battery carrier side wall in terms of crash performance with the production of hybrid material consisting of alumi̇num and composite

The decrease in oil reserves in the world, the increase in exhaust gas emissions and the resulting global warming have led to the intensification of alternative energy sources, especially in the automotive sector. Therefore, in recent years, electric vehicle studies have been intensified. While batteries are used as the main power source in electric vehicle studies, besides the parameters such as distance and weight, many factors related to the safety measures of batteries have also come to the fore. In the event of an impact, especially the side walls of the battery carriers should be shock absorber. In this study, a hybrid structure was formed by bonding thermoplastic matrix carbon fiber reinforced composite materials on aluminum extrusion parts, which are very preferred in battery carriers due to their lightness. In particular, the behavior of composite materials when exposed to low or high-speed impact loads in situations requiring safety is among the important research topics of recent years. This hybrid material, which is formed by combining aluminum and composite materials, will be optimized in terms of mechanical properties. Its resistance to impact and how close it gets to the module consisting of the batteries in the battery carrier after the collision are the most important criteria in terms of safety. Thanks to this information, it has been the main goal to design the lightest, most reliable and environmentally friendly battery carrier. Vehicle parts must meet certain values in safety-related specifications. One of them is the ISO 6469-1 specification and ECE R100 specification created for battery carrier systems. According to these specifications, the side profile of the battery carrier may approach the module consisting of batteries to a certain extent in the tests. For optimum design, a hybrid structure has been created by optimizing the weight while remaining within this allowable displacement value. HyperWorks analysis package program was used for this. The expected performance from the final product in the computer environment is produced after simulated products. Tensile, three-point bending and crushing tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the extrusion sidewall made of 6082 T6 aluminum material. The same tests were carried out for the plates formed with carbon fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix. After determining the individual mechanical properties, a hybrid structure consisting of a special adhesive material that connects the two structures and an aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced composite with thermoplastic matrix was created and the tests of this structure were carried out. Test servers were verified with simulations, critical parameters were determined, and optimum design was created by taking critical parameters as design variables.