Photo: Audi
Audi's next-generation A8 was previewed in the form of a images of its platform, accompanied by technical details of the structure.
The German automaker had to show the world its new Audi Space Frame setup, which involves an impressive multi-material construction. Back in the day, it used to mix aluminum with steel, but it also included carbon fiber-reinforced polymer and magnesium into the mix for the MY2018 A8.
Audi’s next A8 has a platform that benefits from a 33% increase in torsional rigidity, and that improvement comes from the CFRP rear panel implemented on the model. The described component has between six and 19 layers of fiber placed one on top of the other.
The four-ringed-brand has even devised a solution to position the 50-mm-wide (2.0 inch) fiber tapes in ways that require minimal trimming, while also enhancing their resistance according to the necessities at hand.
When you see a 2018 A8 on the street, you might be proud to be the only one of your friends who knows that this model’s body is 58% aluminum. The material has the largest share of the mix in the body, which benefits from a higher tensile strength than ever before.
Redesigning the platform of its flagship sedan was not enough for the marque, as they decided to change the factory that builds it, the Neckarsulm facility. It now has a new body shop, which operates with 14 different joining processes.
Those include “cold” joining, along with the “warm” equivalent of the same system, which involves remote laser welding. The latter is more efficient than conventional laser welding, achieving savings of up to 95% when compared to the previous system.
Since the A8 is the brand’s top-tier model, you may think that it will be the only one to get the new technology. For a few years, this will be correct, but Audi’s Space Frame technology has been implemented in over one million vehicles since it was launched in 1994, on the first generation of the carmaker’s flagship sedan.
Audi’s next A8 has a platform that benefits from a 33% increase in torsional rigidity, and that improvement comes from the CFRP rear panel implemented on the model. The described component has between six and 19 layers of fiber placed one on top of the other.
The four-ringed-brand has even devised a solution to position the 50-mm-wide (2.0 inch) fiber tapes in ways that require minimal trimming, while also enhancing their resistance according to the necessities at hand.
When you see a 2018 A8 on the street, you might be proud to be the only one of your friends who knows that this model’s body is 58% aluminum. The material has the largest share of the mix in the body, which benefits from a higher tensile strength than ever before.
Redesigning the platform of its flagship sedan was not enough for the marque, as they decided to change the factory that builds it, the Neckarsulm facility. It now has a new body shop, which operates with 14 different joining processes.
Those include “cold” joining, along with the “warm” equivalent of the same system, which involves remote laser welding. The latter is more efficient than conventional laser welding, achieving savings of up to 95% when compared to the previous system.
Since the A8 is the brand’s top-tier model, you may think that it will be the only one to get the new technology. For a few years, this will be correct, but Audi’s Space Frame technology has been implemented in over one million vehicles since it was launched in 1994, on the first generation of the carmaker’s flagship sedan.
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