The application of TRIZ on natural fibre metal laminate to reduce the weight of the car front hood

Fibre metal laminate is a lightweight material consisting of metal and composites bonded together. The application of natural fibre metal laminate is examined in this study, with the intention to reduce the weight of the car front hood and in turn, to reduce the weight of the vehicle. This would also help to reduce engine gasses emissions using less fuel and help to reduce the effects associated with global warming. The study highlights several limitations with this material and the importance to determine the appropriate and effective solutions using fibre metal laminate. The application of the TRIZ method is applied to solve several problems that may occur during the utilisation of natural fibre metal laminate as the car front hood. TRIZ is a systematic tool that can assist in solving problems and recommending inventive and effective solutions. By applying the TRIZ method, the contradictions associated with using natural fibre metal laminate as the car front hood are identified using If'', Then'', and But'' keywords to determine the parameters used for the selection of the 40 Inventive Principles via the TRIZ contradiction matrix. Three contradictions were identified and specific solution ideas determined via the application of the TRIZ method. The method also provided several other solutions for the contradictions. The TRIZ solution principles used to generate the specific solution ideas were: #40 composite material, #1 segmentation, #3 local quality, #37 thermal expansion, #2 taking out and #11 beforehand cushioning.