Optimal design of flax fiber reinforced polymer composite as a lightweight component for automobiles from a life cycle assessment perspective

Deng, Yelin; Guo, Y.Q.; Wu, Peng; Ingarao, Giuseppe

doi:10.1111/jiec.12836

Cited by 30 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The GWP assessment is carried out according to the following calculation framework (see equations (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) reported in Table 5).…”

Section: Density (ρ) Young Modulus (E)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the performance/design requirements are not considered, because the competing concepts are evaluated assuming that they are strictly equivalent from a functional point of view. Fassi et al [17] and Deng et al [18], instead, go beyond the above studies, performing sustainability assessment on design equivalence basis. Other works focus on the development of ecodesign tools rather than the pure assessment of specific case studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holistic eco-design tool within automotive field

Antonacci

Pero

Baldanzini

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng.

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In the last decades, sustainability has become a critical issue for the vehicle industry. Today automotive manufacturers are subjected to several government regulations aimed at making the industry more environmentally sustainable. In this context, many research and industrial activities are focused on the eco-design field by developing innovative materials, novel manufacturing technologies, and new methodology; the main objective is to combine the best design performance with increased environmental responsibility. In this paper, a holistic design and sustainability analysis method based on a multi-criteria approach is presented to support the designer in the early conceptual phase finding the best trade-off in terms of performance and sustainability. The new methodology generates a single-score index (SSI) based on product design/sustainability metrics; data normalization, weighting, and aggregation processes are also included in the evaluation method. This method is integrated into an eco-design framework developed through HyperWorks and MATLAB software tools. A case study, based on a reference geometry, a load case, and a list of materials and processes chosen by the designer, is described to show the potential of the proposed methodology. Finally, a critical review and concluding remarks are described following the SSI results; suggestions for further improvements are made.

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“…The GWP assessment is carried out according to the following calculation framework (see equations (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) reported in Table 5).…”

Section: Density (ρ) Young Modulus (E)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holistic eco-design tool within automotive field

Antonacci

Pero

Baldanzini

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Additionally, the fuel consumption problem is becoming increasingly serious. In order to reduce the environmental and energy problems caused by the development of the automobile industry, making an automobile lightweight has become one of the effective measures [1][2][3]. A suspension control arm has to bear and transfer various loads caused by road roughness and engine vibrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Objective Reliability-Based Optimization of Control Arm Using MCS and NSGA-II Coupled with Entropy Weighted GRA

et al. 2021

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Lightweight design is one of the important ways to reduce automobile fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. At the same time, the fatigue life of automobile parts also greatly affects vehicle safety. This paper proposes a multi-objective reliability optimization method by integrating Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) with the NSGA-II algorithm coupled with entropy weighted grey relational analysis (GRA) for lightweight design of the lower control arm of automobile Macpherson suspension. The dynamic load histories of the control arm were extracted through dynamic simulations of a rigid-flexible coupling vehicle model on virtual proving ground. Then, the nominal stress method was used to predict its fatigue life. Six design variables were defined to describe the geometric dimension of the control arm, while mass and fatigue life were taken as optimization objectives. The multi-objective optimization design of the control arm was carried out based on the Kriging surrogate model and NSGA-II algorithm. Aiming at the uncertainty of design variables, the reliability constraint was added to the multi-objective optimization to improve the reliability of the fatigue life of the control arm. The optimal design of the control arm was determined from Pareto solutions by entropy weighted grey relational analysis (GRA). The optimization results show that the mass of the control arm was reduced by 4.1% and the fatigue life was increased by 215.8% while its reliability increased by 7.8%. The proposed multi-objective reliability optimization method proved to be feasible and effective for lightweight design of a suspension control arm.

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“…However, for the part production, the needed energy is comparable for carbon fiber and steel. Deng et al [ 32 ] performed LCA of flax and glass fiber reinforced polymer composites for automobile applications. They found optimum flax mat volume fraction in the range of 28–32% with lower life-cycle carbon emissions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis of Thermally Enhanced Polymer Tube for Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) Technology

et al. 2021

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Metal-alloys tubes are used in the falling-film evaporator of the multi-effect distillation (MED) that is the dominant and efficient thermal seawater desalination process. However, the harsh seawater environment (high salinity and high temperature) causes scale precipitation and corrosion of MED evaporators’ metal tubes, presenting a serious technical challenge to the process. Therefore, the metal/metal alloys used as the material of the MED evaporators’ tubes are expensive and require high energy and costly tube fabrication process. On the other hand, polymers are low-cost, easy to fabricate into tubes, and highly corrosion-resistant, but have low thermal conductivity. Nevertheless, thermally conductive fillers can enhance the thermal conductivity of polymers. In this article, we carried out a feasibility-study-based techno-economic and socioeconomic analysis, as well as a life-cycle assessment (LCA), of a conventional MED desalination plant that uses titanium tubes and a plant that used thermally enhanced polymer composites (i.e., polyethylene (PE)‑expanded graphite (EG) composite) as the tubes’ material. Two different polymer composites containing 30% and 40% filler (expanded graphite/graphene) are considered. Our results indicate that the MED plant based on polymer composite tubes has favored economic and carbon emission metrics with the potential to reduce the cost of the MED evaporator (shell and tubes) by 40% below the cost of the titanium evaporator. Moreover, the equivalent carbon emissions associated with the composite polymer tubes’ evaporator is 35% lower than titanium tubes. On the other hand, the ozone depletion, acidification, and fossil fuel depletion for the polymer composite tubes are comparable with that of the titanium tubes. The recycling of thermally enhanced polymers is not considered in this LCA analysis; however, after the end of life, reusing the polymer material into other products would lower the overall environmental impacts. Moreover, the polymer composite tubes can be produced locally, which will not only reduce the environmental impacts due to transportation but also create jobs for local manufacturing.

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Optimal design of flax fiber reinforced polymer composite as a lightweight component for automobiles from a life cycle assessment perspective

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Holistic eco-design tool within automotive field

Holistic eco-design tool within automotive field

Multi-Objective Reliability-Based Optimization of Control Arm Using MCS and NSGA-II Coupled with Entropy Weighted GRA

Sustainability Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis of Thermally Enhanced Polymer Tube for Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) Technology

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