Carbon fibre, as the basis for composites, is being touted as the game-changer in the further lightweighting of the automotive industry. At the 2012 JEC Composites show in Paris, many developments were directed towards the achievement of this. In September 2011 the car Agera R broke the existing Guinness Book of World Record title for the fastest time for a two-seater production car to travel from 0 km/h to 300 km/h, which it achieved in 21.19 s. This record was obtained as a consequence of the driver's experience, a powerful 1,115 bhp engine, high-performance brakes, the vehicle's exceptional handling and the application of Umeco's lightweight carbon fabric prepregs for the structure, bodywork and cosmetic trim. Prepreg materials are manufactured by combining reinforcement fibres or fabrics with specially formulated pre-catalysed resin systems using machinery designed to ensure consistency. They are used to produce composites faster and with less mess than wet lay-up systems. Among the leading prepreg manufacturers are Hexcel, Cytec Industries, Gurit AG, Toray Industries, TenCate Advanced Composites and Umeco. Because of its high price, carbon still only accounts for a small percentage of the total amount of composites produced and consumed. While waiting for the trickle-down effect of carbon-based composites to the daily commute class of vehicle, there were plenty of examples of how they are increasing their share and achieving new functions in Formula 1 and the Supersports categories at JEC. With the highest power-to-weight ratio of any car in its class, Lamborghini's Aventador LP700-4 is made from carbon-fibre monocoque technology. The carbon fibre roof was one of the most critical parts of the car to design because of the high mechanical requirements for this structural part, so Lamborghini and carbon manufacturer Hexcel worked together.


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    Title :

    Connecting the dots with carbon


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Future Materials ; May ; 4-7


    Publication date :

    2012


    Size :

    4 Seiten, 3 Bilder



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English





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