AN ECOLOGICAL DESIGN STUDY OF USING HYBRID BIOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS INSIDE A MOTOR- VEHICLE’S CABIN

The paper presents the analysis of the driver and the occupants’ perception in the case of using composite materials to some cabin components. There were analyzed four biocomposite materials with reinforcements of wool, wool & cotton, bamboo and bamboo & cotton. They were analyzed for the dashboard, door panels and A&B pillar using a part of an ecological design – CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment). Having the four types of biocomposite materials it was necessary to determine their properties like color, texture, grain, bump, material flakes and emissivity, all of them with a special scanner. The data was uploaded into the Deltagen software to analyze every component at a real-life scale. The CAVE made possible analyzes of different light environment conditions, the grain, colors, shines, and the reflections to windshield, windows or mirrors. Thus, with the CAVE was done a digital testing by changing materials of the components in a short amount of time and with low costs. In the Beginning of Life of a vehicle, by using the CAVE and biocomposite materials for motor vehicles’ components it is possible to obtain clean and sustainable product development.