Half a century ago, gleaming metal supercars brought the power and glitz of racing cars to the road. Today, the same need exists, but the contemporary supercars that meet it are more likely to be carbon than metal. Two good examples are the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR and the latest Porsche Carrera GT. Use of carbon fibre has permits the construction of an exceptionally light body of rigidity and strength. CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastics) components individually weigh up to 50 % less than steel and 30 % less than aluminium. Composites design and fabrication expertise has emanated of McLaren Composites. The main body/chassis unit is produced using SPRINT (SP Resin Infusion Technology). McLaren decided to adopt resin infusion as an alternative to autoclave-cure carbon prepregs because a less expensive material system was needed for a series production run. Using a pre-prepared material in which pre-tackified resin is sandwiched between outer carbon fibre layers offers clear production advantages. Because resin is right next to the fibre layers throughout the lay-up, it has to migrate only a short distance to penetrate the fibres. Just the right amount of resin is present in the semi-preg material to wet out the fibre skins when heated, and there is negligible variation in the amount of resin used for a given area of laminate. In the MG X-Power sports vehicle SPRINT technology was used as well. SPRINT CBS, tailored to match the stiffness of steel, aluminium or SMC, reduced panel weight by up to 70 %. In the Porsche Carrera, with an all-carbon core structure, the autoclaved prepreg route was chosen to high laminate quality and structural integrity.
Composites conquer with carbon supercars
Reinforced Plastics ; 50 , 1 ; 20-24
2006
5 Seiten, 5 Bilder
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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