UK-based design and engineering company Gordon Murray Design has unveiled the latest version of its iStream automotive manufacturing system which it says revolutionises the way cars are manufactured and delivers up to a 50% reduction in body weight.
The system combines a high-strength aluminium frame with advanced carbon fibre composite panels to bring ‘Formula One-derived construction and technologies to mainstream car production’.
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The company says the new process promises to usher in a new era of vehicle performance with the lightweight structure offering greater safety, lower emissions, improved handling, and enhanced durability. The company claims the new innovation not only delivers up to 50% weight reduction compared with a standard stamped-metal body, it also offers new levels of platform flexibility.
Gordon Murray Design says that the modular nature of the iStream Superlight chassis means the core platform can be adapted to suit every segment of vehicle from sports cars and ultra-efficient electric city cars to SUVs and light commercial vehicles. This adaptable formula ensures, it is claimed, ‘cost-effectiveness for manufacturers by avoiding the need for high capital investment and individual chassis designs for each model variant’.
Professor Gordon Murray said: “The new iStream Superlight approach to vehicle manufacturing is a paradigm-shifting innovation for the global automotive industry. It is a breakthrough that will deliver the lightest chassis technology for decades to come. The Gordon Murray Design team has created a unique, adaptable and cost-effective way for manufacturers around the world to dramatically improve vehicle performance and efficiency.”
‘iStream Superlight’ employs a high-strength aluminium thin-wall tubular frame and honeycomb recycled carbon-composite chassis panels in place of the stamped metal used in most volume car production.
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By GlobalDataThe company also says that a low weight aluminium frame can deliver a cost neutral BIW when compared to stamped steel.
iStream lightweight seat
Gordon Murray Design has also revealed a new seat innovation – the iStream lightweight seat, which uses the same materials, techniques and technologies as the iStream chassis.
This newly-developed seat incorporates glass or recycled carbon-fibre composite and a tubular frame to achieve dramatic weight savings. The company claims that compared to a typical vehicle seat, the iStream lightweight seat achieves a weight reduction of up to 30%. The iStream lightweight seat can be designed to suit all types of passenger vehicle.
While the design is aimed at weight saving in passenger cars, the new seat has the potential to benefit other passenger transportation sectors. From aerospace to rail, the patented design delivers new levels of lightweight and low tooling costs, it is claimed.
