**1.3. Modern architecture**

**Keywords:** thermo-hydroforming, novel manufacturing methods for composite

Sheet hydroforming is a process that was primarily developed for the needs of the aircraft industry. In sheet hydroforming, formed tooling blocks are placed in the machine's loading tray and pre-cut sheet metal blanks are placed over the blocks. Throw pads are then placed over the blanks to cushion sharp edges. The tray is then fed into the pressing chamber as a thick elastic blanket is unrolled over the tool and sheet metal. The pressure chamber is a thickwalled cylinder wound with high tensile strength metal wire that is engineered to handle the extremely high forming pressures. Once the part is loaded, immensely high fluid backfill pressure is applied to the membrane. The elastic blanket diaphragm expands and flows downward, over and around the metal blank. The sheet metal is then pressed to follow the contour of the die block, exerting an even, positive pressure at all contact points. As a result, the metal blank is literally wrapped to the exact shape of the die block. The press is then depressurized for unloading the tray. This process is ideal for prototyping and low volume production in aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, and other aerospace alloys such as matrix metal panels in

The new fuel economy standards which mandate an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon for the 2025 model year will highly motivate auto manufacturers to step up development of improved vehicle designs and technologies to sharply improve the fleet mileage. Mass produced models will need to utilize more efficient engines and new lighter but safe car bodies. Automobile manufacturers have investigated alternatives to the steel traditionally used in car production. However, in most cases, the on-road properties of steel make it the best choice for automotive fabrication [3]. As a result, we are seeing a renewed interest in the

Carbon-fiber composite car structures are now in vogue. BMW produces two all carbon electric vehicle designs the i3 and the i8. General Motors' Corvette Stingray has a carbon-fiber roof and hood. Other recent autos that feature carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) components include the Audi R8, the BMW M6, and the Dodge Viper. Most of these models, however, are high end, low-volume vehicles that are mainly assembled manually because composites use in low and medium-priced cars is still awaiting the development of cost effective mass-

**1.1. Background: identification and significance of the innovation**

materials

28 Characterizations of Some Composite Materials

**1. Introduction**

low volumes [1, 2].

*1.2.1. Automotive*

**1.2. Customer problem**

use of high-strength steel and composites.

production processes and materials [4, 5].

*1.1.1. General information*

The world has recently seen massive advancements in architecture. Numerous buildings in places such as Dubai have advanced the state of the art well beyond previous construction methods. Leading architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and others are deep in a renaissance of building construction esthetics and methodologies.

Structures fabricated from numerous unique panels are especially well suited to production applications. Computer Aided Design (CAD) software is now used to convert complex 3D geometric forms into numerous 3D architectural SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) panels of a manageable size and shape. The panelized surface architecture process can be applied to buildings, sculptures, ships and aircraft [9].
