A lightweight, one-piece driveshaft featuring fiberglass/carbon fiber
reinforced vinyl ester pultruded over an aluminum tube was the first
high volume auto industry application of aerospace technology. The Spicer
Graph Lite™ driveshaft made its market debut in 1987 on General Motors 1988
model GMT-400 pickup trucks. (Production began in October, 1986.)
The graphite/fiberglass/aluminum driveshaft tube was developed as a direct response
to industry demand for greater performance and efficiency in light trucks, vans
and high performance automobiles. Replacing conventional two-piece steel driveshafts,
the Graph Lite™ composite driveshaft offered the following benefits:
- 60% lighter than a two-piece steel driveshaft,
with an average 20-pound weight saving per vehicle
- Eliminated a multi-piece driveline, thus reducing
assembly time, inventory costs, maintenance and part number complexity
- Eliminated warranty associated with center bearings
- Transfer of powertrain noise and vibration to the passenger compartment decreased due to inherent dampening characteristics of composite material and less rotating mass
- Composite material protected against driveline deterioration
from corrosion—leading to longer life
- Most significantly, it permitted custom design
of driveshaft performance based upon vehicle use and powertrain
systems
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R & D for the development of a composite driveshaft
began in 1962 by the Spicer Universal Joint Division of Dana
Corporation, but the project was dropped in the mid '60's
because of lack of technology throughout the industry. Research
resumed in 1975, and in 1986 Spicer Universal Joint Division
of Dana developed the graphite/aluminum tube design and brought
the project to Strongwell.
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Strongwell developed new pultrusion equipment
and technology to produce the Spicer
Graph Lite™ design.
A composite of fiberglass, graphite and a special resin
is pultruded directly onto the seamless aluminum tube. This
composite reinforces the tube, eliminating the need for
center bearings. The composite is engineered with an isolation
barrier between the aluminum tube and the graphite to eliminate
electrolytic galvanic corrosion.
The product, once it was developed, was tested by simulating
20 years of vehicle life before it reached the market. Test
engineers concluded that the Spicer Graph Lite™ will outperform
conventional two-piece driveshafts in strength, weight saving
benefits and longevity.
Strongwell and Dana continue their relationship today seeking
new applications for the carbon-over-aluminum driveshafts
as well as developing and testing all-composite driveshafts
of carbon and glass fibers.
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