Selection of alternative material for car roof panel

Composite materials are extending the horizons of designers in all branches of engineering. The significance of composites is the material properties like high stiffness to weight ratio and high impact strength compared to the conventional materials. The major applications of composites are Aerospace applications in which most of parts require low weight and high strength. The present work encompasses study, selection of the composite material for Roof panel of TATA SUMO (old model) vehicle and CAE analysis is performed using ANSYS. The composite material is selected based on the material charts (Ashby) and the one which suited the application is Glass Fibers Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composite. The analysis result shows the reaction of composite material to impact load. The impact strength of GFRP composite varies for different volume fraction. The volume fraction which yields high impact strength is used in manufacturing final product. The final model of roof panel is manufactured using Hand-layup process with the help of wooden die.