Application of axiomatic design theory to automotive body assembly in the sustainable manufacturing context

This paper presents an application of an axiomatic design theory-based analytical approach to autobody components assembly in the sustainable manufacturing context. The adjoining edges of autobody and closure steel sheet panels are machined via a computer-controlled laser cutting process. Following the hierarchies of the bill of materials designed in the CATIA V5 environment, the autobody components are assembled manually using the novel τ-stoss technology. The preliminary data obtained from the comparative analysis of the reported LS-DYNA crash simulation of 2 and 3 mm thick τ-stoss technology-based steel front rails shows that a high number of τ-stoss technology-based secondary beams present a preventive material failure at the integration joints. A series of experimental test drives of the τ-stoss technology assembled automobile validated the robustness of the design system and reliability of the τ-stoss technology.