Carbon Fiber Products - Revolutionizing the Automobile Manufacturing Industry

Posted by John Gear on June 21st, 2016

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer or carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic is an extremely strong and lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic that contains carbon fibers. The production process of CFRPs or Carbon fiber reinforced polymer is expensive. So, manufacturers have to invest quite a lot of money in manufacturing various types of carbon fiber products. However, the strength and durability of products that are manufactured with this raw material make them worth the investment. With high strength-to-weight ratio and rigidity, these products are apt for aerospace and automotive industry. Apart from this, carbon fiber reinforced polymer also finds application in fields like civil engineering, sports equipment manufacturing and many other fields that require durability and high strength-to-weight ratio.

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer or CFRP is the next-generation material that is taking the automotive industry by storm. This material is extensively used for making cars lighter, fuel efficient and safer to drive. CFRP is extremely strong and durable because it comprises of woven layers of pure carbon fibers that are bonded together by hardened materials like epoxy resin. Since the fibers are entirely carbon, hence their density is only around 1.6 grams per cubic centimeter, which makes this material lightweight yet durable. Carbon fiber is extensively used for making parts like steering wheel and dashboard of cars.

High-end performance cars comprise of large quantities of CFRP composites in their structures elements. These structural elements help in reducing the weight of the automobile and also aid in improving its performance. The cars that comprise of structural elements made of CFRP can easily reach top speed. Apart from all this, these cars also have a faster acceleration and are fuel efficient. This material has immensely contributed in manufacturing fuel-efficient lightweight yet sturdy vehicles that are also quite safe to drive. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer can rightly be called the future of automobile industry.

This material is extensively employed for manufacturing sports versions of luxury cars. In fact, in many cars the entire hood structure and many other components are made of CFRP composites. To improve the functionality of these cars, a large number of rivets, joints, and screws are employed to fasten the carbon fiber reinforced polymer parts. In earlier times, drilling holes through carbon fiber reinforced polymer structures for fasteners was not possible. This is because this material shattered when an excessive amount of pressure and force was applied on any particular amount. However, with innovative engineering design and extensive testing process, this problem has been remedied.

Author’s Bio - In this article, the author has talked about carbon fiber products and their use in the automotive industry.