Rheinmetall has developed a new fiberglass suspension spring and has partnered with a high-end OEM for a prototype test vehicle. This new spring features a patented design that significantly reduces unsprung mass and improves performance.
Suspension springs connect the wheels to the chassis and therefore play an important role in the safety and handling of the vehicle. The new glass-fibre-reinforced composite spring reduces the unsprung mass by up to 75 percent compared to conventional steel coil springs and is therefore particularly suitable for range-optimized electric vehicles.
In addition to reducing weight, the development team also placed great emphasis on maximum pitch and roll stability, high intrinsic damping of the material and ensuring optimum noise, vibration and harshness characteristics. Fiberglass-reinforced springs are also corrosion-resistant compared to traditional steel springs because plastics are only corroded by certain chemicals, not by oxygen and water.
The spring can be arranged in the same installation space as a standard spring and has excellent fatigue strength, including very good emergency handling characteristics, so that the vehicle can continue to drive.
The fiberglass spring was installed in a test vehicle at the partner's site under strictly confidential conditions. There, the springs have to pass an intensive test program involving practical trials before they are finally ready for use.
Suntex Composite Industrial Co., Ltd is specialized in making safe heat-resistant textiles.
Our factory is in Jiangsu, China, which has a strong tradition of textile making combined with an experienced workforce.