Abstract
A composite coupler has been developed to prevent automotive windshield wiper systems from being damaged by excessive loads when the normal wiping pattern is restricted. The coupler is composed of a pultruded composite rod with injection-molded plastic spherical sockets attached at either end. Unlike the traditional steel coupler used in wiper systems, the composite coupler will buckle at a prescribed compressive load threshold and become extremely compliant. As a result, the peak loading of the coupler and the entire wiper system can be greatly reduced. Since the composite coupler is less rigid than its steel counterpart, the dynamic performance of the wiper system is investigated in this work. This chapter details the methodology that was employed to determine the chatter characteristics of the wiper systems under untreated and Rain-X treated windshields under different wiping conditions.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Mechanics of Composite and Multi-functional Materials |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
Keywords
- Composite materials
- Buckling
- Wiper systems
- Durability
- Chatter
Disciplines
- Mechanical Engineering