Innovative vehicle model FIF: Future of the transport in the traffic museum!

Innovative vehicle model FIF: Future of the transport in the traffic museum!

The Technical University (TU) Dresden has handed over an innovative commercial vehicle model to the Dresden Verkehrsmuseum with a textile-reinforced plastic body. The vehicle bears the name "Functional Vehicle system carrier" (FIF) and serves as a technological demonstrator for urban, municipal or internal transport. This handover recently took place in the traffic museum, which has a long tradition in traffic research and was founded in 1952, originally as a laboratory of the University of Transport.

The FIF model is characterized by high strength and rigidity with a low mass and is also recyclable. The technology transfer goes back to the Collaborative Research Center 639 "Textile -reinforced composite components", which was operated from 2004 to 2015 with the support of the German Research Foundation (DFG). For the first time, the FIF was presented at the Hanover Messe in 2016.

meaning for automotive research

Maria Niklaus, the head of the road traffic area in the traffic museum, emphasizes the significant role of innovations from the TU Dresden for automotive research. Tud Chancellor Jan Gerken was present at the handover of the demonstrator and paid tribute to the valuable contribution of the FIF to the further development of the transport sector. The director of the traffic museum, Dr. Michael Vogt also expressed his interest in future cooperation with the TU in order to further deepen the synergies between science and museum work.

Visitors to the traffic museum have the opportunity to visit the FIF in the depot, for example on the day of the open monument on September 14th and the final event of the railway season in mid -October.

technologies in the background

The FIF uses modern textile thermoplasted technologies to enable high functional integration. The vehicle structure consists of two load -bearing elements: the vehicle cabin and the support structure. It is interesting that the number of components for the load -bearing structure was reduced to just six highly integrated components, which impressively illustrates the efficiency of the construction method. In addition, the FIF integrates structural, electrical and adaptive functions, supported by a sensor network that enables data communication and monitoring the material state.

At the same time, the further development of preform production processes for textile -reinforced plastics is being used. The aim is to generate reinforcement structures in 3D component shape without reworking, which has recently brought positive results in quality assurance. The reference materials used in this project, such as fiber optic fabrics and the matrix materials PET and PP, have proven themselves in tests. This progress is important in order to automate and optimize the production processes in the automotive industry, since the industry increasingly has to face the challenges of electromobility.

The automotive industry is facing a paradigm shift, which is reinforced by the introduction of electric vehicles and the associated requirements for lightweight construction and material innovations. Fiber -based materials play a central role here. An example is the development of the Stadt-E-Mobil I3 of BMW, which is made of a carbon fiber composite material. Leading manufacturers such as BMW, Daimler and VW see the fiber technology and the automation of the manufacturing processes of a key technology for the future.

These developments motivate numerous research institutions in Germany that deal intensively with the research and development of textile fiber composite materials. The serial production of high -strength textile structures that are required in automotive production is planned. The implementation of these projects is funded by state initiatives that create a common platform for knowledge transfer and technological development.