Hybrid materials are an effective approach to develop lighter structures while still exceeding safety standards. But often these materials have disadvantages regarding CO2 emissions and recyclability. One approach to reduce the CO2 emissions in the production phase is the usage of renewable raw materials. In this context the usage of wood as a structural material for rail and road vehicles was not properly considered in recent years. Wood has a high potential due to its very good specific properties which are comparable to conventional lightweight materials like aluminum and magnesium. Further advantages of wood are its low price, the potential to reduce the CO2 emissions and the possibility to establish new local supply chains.

At the Institute of Vehicle Concepts of the German Aerospace Center and in cooperation with partners, different approaches were developed to use wood for car and train structures. The goal was to investigate the usage of multi-material systems for current and future vehicle structures. For this purpose, various concepts were developed, ranging from the usage of veneer layers to reinforce thin sheet metals to structural components, which are produced completely from wood and are only reinforced locally. Through the hybridization of wood with aluminum and steel, it was possible to not only develop light but also sustainable solutions that can be recycled at the end of life.

In order to evaluate the proposed solutions, generic components but also complete vehicle structures were derived, manufactured and tested. It was possible to answer critical questions like the mechanical performance and to compare the results with the state of the art.

The talk gives an overview of the different design and evaluation approaches chosen and illustrates the high potential of wood based materials for vehicle structures.