Manufacturing the C8 Requires Many Innovative Raw Materials
Newest Corvette is an innovative machine for a number of reasons, including its fascinating multi-material construction.
Multi-Material
While we await the official arrival of the C8 Corvette on dealer lots, we've picked apart virtually every inch of the car, from its special service requirements to its interior. But one thing few people are talking about is the new Corvette's impressive new multi-material construction. But recently, the folks over at Composite World took the time to break down the many manufacturing innovations that go into building each new Corvette from scratch. Needless to say, it's pretty fascinating.
Industry Leader
Today, multi-material construction is considered to be a fairly new innovation. But truthfully, the Corvette has always remained at the forefront in this regard. After all, the very first Corvette featured a fiberglass body over a steel chassis. Since then, the Corvette has remained a showcase for GM's innovative manufacturing processes, as well as an industry leader in composite body panel technology.
Photos: Chevrolet
Evolving Technology
Originally, GM used a "hand layup" process to make the Corvette's body panels. They then moved to liquid compression molding in 1968, which made the panels lighter and thinner. But when sheet molding compound (SMC) debuted on the Corvette in 1973, GM finally hit gold. SMC has since been used on every generation of the Corvette, including the new C8.
Photos: Chevrolet
Getting Lighter
Of course, that technology has been honed and improved over the years as well. Over time, GM has worked hard to develop lighter, lower-density panels for non-appearance parts of the Corvette. But now, they've also managed to create low-density panels for the exterior, too. With the C8, GM has created the very first SMC/liquid compression materials with a specific gravity of under 1.0 in the front and rear trunk areas.
Photos: Chevrolet
Carbon Evolution
Over time, carbon fiber has begun to play a larger role in the Corvette's construction as well. This began with the hood of the C5 Le Mans Edition, followed up by the fenders, wheel liners, and floorboard of the C6 Z06, as well as the hood and splitters on the C6 ZR1. The C7 introduced a carbon fiber hood for all models, along with the option of a carbon fiber removable roof. That roof construction carries over to the C8, but the new Corvette also adds a low-density SMC hood.
Photos: Chevrolet
End of an Era
With all this new technology, it's worth noting that the C8 Corvette marks the end of the fiberglass composite leaf spring that's remained in use on the model since 1981 when it was the first passenger car to use this technology. Along with a front traverse spring introduced in 1984, this suspension design was utilized all the way through the C7. The mid-engine design of the C8 signaled the end of this long-running setup, however.
Photos: Chevrolet
Shedding Mass
The Corvette has also played a large role in bumper technology over the years, notably becoming the first car to use a bumper beam made from glass-mat thermoplastic back in 1984. In 1989, the Corvette switched to a structurally reinforced injection molding. Now, the C8 continues to evolve in this regard with a brand new curved pultruded carbon fiber beam that weights a significant 60% less than the outgoing C7's aluminum piece.
Photos: Chevrolet
Innovative Leader
Overall, this breakdown offers us a rare look into the raw materials used to create the Corvette. These are things that we enthusiasts rarely think of, but they're important nonetheless. And it also sheds a light onto the many other innovations Corvette has presented to the automotive manufacturing industry as a whole, where it's remained a trend-setter since day one.
Photos: Chevrolet
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