Carbon suspension components?

[anguilla1980]

It seems to me that one could 3D print in carbon pieces likes say a tubular a-arm. The inside of the tube, if designed as a honeycomb for instance, I believe may be strong enough. I realize of course that street and HPDE parts need to be far more robust than pure race components.

Has anyone run any stress simulations on such designs?



I just replaced my entire suspension a few months ago, and it was mind-boggling just how heavy everything was.

[JustJohn]

Structural carbon layups are typically produced in a mold under high pressure to inject the resin throughout the CF matrix. Printed parts (a) wouldn't be fiber and (b) wouldn't be ideal for structural applications.

A better and technically feasible option would be sintered metal bed printed parts out of aluminum or titanium, which is currently done for aircraft applications.

[Tsaints1115]

Better get a carbon fiber life insurance policy.

[vette427-sbc]

One year only, 1996 Corvettes used composite forward link bars...

[mikedc]

The question for control arm materials is not "How strong is it?" The question is "How does it fail?" Control arms & spindles need to bend on impact. CF usually split/shatters.

Control arms also need to be resistant to chips/scrapes/gouges. They shouldn't be easily affected by oils/chemicals. They need to be very stable through heat & cold. Etc.


I would rather have control arms in aluminum than CF. The same goes for many of the CF ideas that are discussed or produced these days.

[badazz81z28]

The question for control arm materials is not "How strong is it?" The question is "How does it fail?" Control arms & spindles need to bend on impact. CF usually split/shatters.

Control arms also need to be resistant to chips/scrapes/gouges. They shouldn't be easily affected by oils/chemicals. They need to be very stable through heat & cold. Etc.


I would rather have control arms in aluminum than CF. The same goes for many of the CF ideas that are discussed or produced these days.

you would be surprised what’s CF in the aircraft world. Did you know things like wings are helicopter rotor blades are composite? They bend a lot! Not saying one way is better or not, but CF is used in a lot of applications to save weight. I honestly don’t think it’s worth the $$$ for one off parts.

[BMR Sales]

CF in the Aircraft or OEM Automobiles are way different than what you can presently 3D Print.

[raustinss]

F1 and indy car run carbon suspension parts but we all know how insanely well engineered and built those cars are

[Schwartz Performance]

This carbon torque arm at PRI was pretty cool

[TheJDMan]

The question is not if CF is a viable structural material for use in suspension parts. We all know it is. The point is that you cannot expect a structurally safe CF part from a 3D printer.

[slammed68]

Printed metal parts would be the strongest but it is possible to print carbon fiber that is incredibly strong. Check out Markforged printers. They can print chopped carbon mat and lay down a continous strand of carbon. Part of the issue though is directional loading, you would really need to do your homework on how the part is designed and printed.

[raustinss]

Considering what a suspension part does ... loads etc . It isnt worth safety wise to have any suspension parts made from carbon until proper engineering is done by a reputable source . The last thing anyone wants is to hear that someone lost their life or killed someone else because they thought it was cool or could save a few pounds

[slammed68]

Considering what a suspension part does ... loads etc . It isnt worth safety wise to have any suspension parts made from carbon until proper engineering is done by a reputable source . The last thing anyone wants is to hear that someone lost their life or killed someone else because they thought it was cool or could save a few pounds

No doubt, I'm comfortable designing quite a bit....light weight composite suspension components is probably the last thing I'm comfortable with. To much risk.

[Randy67]

Some of the Gen 6 Camaros have composite suspension links, I wonder what they are made from? I agree with the others, I don't think 3D printed links are a good idea. Maybe soon in the future it will be a viable option.

[slammed68]

Some of the Gen 6 Camaros have composite suspension links, I wonder what they are made from? I agree with the others, I don't think 3D printed links are a good idea. Maybe soon in the future it will be a viable option.

The tech is pretty much there for printing, its more a case of just because you can....doesn't mean you should. Its one thing to design and simulate suspension components made from aluminum, stepping up to composite requires a lot more homework, doesn't matter if its 3D printed composite or a traditional layup.

Curious if you know what parts on a 6th gen are composite?

[Randy67]

Here is an article with references to the composite suspension parts: https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/...30-camaro.html

[BMR Sales]

Way different than 3D Printing! And that is on an EndLink - if that Fails, it's probably not going to Kill you. If like the OP was asking, you 3D Printed an A-Arm, you would probably kill yourself and whoever you hit!

[parsonsj]

I don't think anybody 3d prints composite control arms, F1 included.

What I think F1 does is print the control arm molds, and then they hand lay the pieces in the molds and use all their advanced technology wizardry from there.

[raustinss]

I believe you're correct John .

[BMR Sales]

https://youtu.be/PGGiuaQwcd8