World's first agricultural machinery carbon chassis among the finalists for the prestigious JEC Innovation Award and soon to be on show at Hannover Messe 2024

In the AgriLight project, the IFW and its project partners have developed the first agricultural machinery chassis made from fiber-reinforced plastics. For this, it was recognized by the leading trade fair for composites as a finalist for the prestigious JEC Innovation Award in the Equipment Machinery & Heavy Industries category.

The first live presentation of the chassis will take place at the Hannover Messe 2024. From 22.04. to 26.04. the prototype will be exhibited at our stand with the project partners from Krone Maschinenfabrik GmbH, MD Composite GmbH and the PuK of Clausthal University of Technology in Hall 4 D22 as part of the Lightweight Construction Pavilion.

Thanks to the new chassis and material concept, the weight of the chassis has been reduced by 50 %. This makes it easier to register machines weighing several tons. Soil compaction is also reduced. Another advantage shown by the IFW's structural simulations is the significantly higher torsional rigidity. Thanks to the new chassis geometry and load-appropriate fiber orientation, the torsional rigidity has been increased by 360 % and the bending rigidity by between 60 and 90 %. As a result, the risk of drive belts jumping off and the load on the add-on parts is significantly reduced.

The chassis is currently being manufactured by project partner MD Composites GmbH and prepared for the Hannover Messe. This prototype will then undergo dynamic structural testing at our partner Krone. The results of the design and the underlying finite element models will be validated. The main objective of this investigation is to ensure that both the carbon fiber-based chassis and the hybrid inserts used in areas subject to high stress do not suffer any damage over the entire service life of a vehicle. To record the loads and deformations of the chassis, the IFW is implementing a measurement concept that includes Rayleigh and strain gauge sensors as well as optical 3D measurements. Through the development process, the IFW was able to further strengthen and expand its expertise in the development and design of large fiber composite structures as well as in the conception of application-related force transmission.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK) as part of the Technology Transfer Program Lightweight Construction (TTP LB). We thank the BMWK for funding the project.

Contact:

For more information, please contact David Garthe, Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Machine Tools at Leibniz Universität Hannover, by phone at +49 4141 77638 24 or by e-mail at garthe@ifw.uni-hannover.de.