Optimization of Optical Quality in Automotive Glass with the Application of Computer Simulation in the Forming Process

Alejandro Bueno, James Schnabel

The trend in the Automotive Design Studios in recent years has been toward complex glass shapes and lower installation angles. As a result, the glass industry has been challenged to maintain, or improve, optical quality of its product while producing these complex parts. Studies of the problem quickly reveal that the optical quality of automotive glass is inextricably linked to the curvature of its surface: the greater its curvatures (principals, Gaussian and rates of change) are, the greater the optical distortion it will have.

In order to meet the challenge, several studies on glass formability have been done and presented at recent conferences and symposia. Among these studies there have been mathematical models, which simulate the forming processes of glass sheets into complex surfaces. A method is presented in this paper, which goes one step further; it optimizes the optical quality of the glass part by creating alternate shapes. The method imposes constraints and boundary conditions on the characteristics of the design which can not be changed, such as: definition of the edge of glass, tangency with the sheet metal at the perimeter, minimum depth in the central area, and other constraints required by the customer.

The objective of this method is to detect and correct shortcomings in a concept design early in the development of the body while its shape is still "fluid" and receptive to changes.
One case of a particularly complex surface design will be presented and discussed.

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