Audi, one of the pioneering OEMs in automotive lightweight construction, is introducing new, lightweight suspension springs made of glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) in an upper midsize model before the end of the year.

The GFRP spring, which Audi developed in collaboration with an Italian supplier, even looks different than a steel spring. It is light green, the fibre strand is thicker than the wire of a steel spring, and it has a slightly larger overall diameter with a lower number of coils. Most importantly, however, it is some 40 percent lighter. While a steel spring for an upper midsize model weighs nearly 2.7 kilograms, a GFRP spring with the same properties weighs just approximately 1.6 kilograms. Together the four GFRP springs thus reduce the weight by roughly 4.4 kilograms, half of which pertains to the unsprung mass. “The GFRP springs save weight at a crucial location in the chassis system. We are therefore making driving more precise and enhancing vibrational comfort,” said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi AG.

The core of the springs consists of long glass fibres twisted together and impregnated with epoxy resin. A machine wraps additional fibres around this core — which is only a few millimetres in diameter — at alternating angles of plus and minus 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis. These tension and compression plies mutually support one another to optimally absorb the stresses acting on the component. In the last production step, the blank is cured in an oven at temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius.

The GFRP springs can be precisely tuned to their respective task, and the material exhibits outstanding properties. It does not corrode, even after stone chipping, and is impervious to chemicals such as wheel cleaners. Last but not least, production requires far less energy than the production of steel springs.