Cars are tending to get heavier due to higher horsepower as well as to the desire for extensive safety equipment and comfort facilities. This increases costs and is bad for the climate too, because more weight leads to higher emission of CO2. The problem can be solved by the intelligent substitution of steel and aluminium by composite materials consisting of fibres reinforced plastic (FRP). FRP components they allow also to create new shapes in vehicle design and to increase the safety of the passengers. This paper looks at the potential of and applications for FRP composites, with particular emphasis on carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) with their lightweight, crash-proof and non-rusting properties. Car manufacturers have developed different approaches in lightweight structures primarily in the higher-priced premium segment, ranging from hybrid materials to hybrid structures and bodies made entirely from CFRP. However, cycle times and component costs need to be reduced in order for CFRP components to be used in large-scale production. Series production in large numbers is, in addition, hampered by the long time it takes to manufacture components. Another issue that has not been settled satisfactorily yet is recycling of the composite material. A wide range of interesting concepts for potential solutions are, however, in the process of being developed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Augsburg, Germany, has developed an innovative new manufacturing process for the car industry that enables the production of CFRP components to be automated completely. And the car manufacturer BMW is demonstrating that mass production of CFRP components is possible on an economically viable basis.


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    Title :

    Lightweight material structures based on FRP


    Additional title:

    Leichtbaustrukturen im Automobilbau mit faserverstärkten Verbundwerkstoffen


    Published in:

    Asian Textile Journal ; 22 , 10 ; 60-62


    Publication date :

    2013


    Size :

    3 Seiten, 2 Bilder, 8 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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