CFRP (carbon-fibre-reinfored plastic) is the material of choice for demanding motor sports applications. However, to this date, automotive applications in road cars have been predominantly limited to highcost niche vehicles. The automotive industry has repeatedly been identified as one of the markets most likely to propel carbon fiber into high-volume production. This paper discusses the basic issues that will need to be solved in order for CFRP to make the step into the primary structures of mass-produced automobiles. The principal challenges lie not so much in meeting technical requirements as in reaching volume targets, automotive-level quality, and direct cost competitiveness to lightweight alloys such as aluminum and magnesium. A strong vertically integrated supplier structure will be necessary to achieve this. The goal is to provide materials and process technologies that can ensure the required quality and a cost competitiveness in volumes in excess of several tens of thousands of cars a year. While the raw materials technologies available can to a great extent be carried over from motor sports, radically new design and manufacturing concepts will be necessary to bring the costs of CFRP components down.
CFRP - from motor sports into automotive series - Challenges and opportunities facing the technology transfer
2004
15 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 12 Quellen
Conference paper
German
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