Vehicle lightweighting represents one of several design approaches that automotive and heavy truck manufacturers are currently evaluating to improve fuel economy, lower emissions, and improve freight efficiency (tons-miles per gallon of fuel). With changes in fuel efficiency and environmental regulations in the area of transportation, the next decade will likely see considerable vehicle lightweighting throughout the ground transportation industry. Greater use of carbon fiber composites and light metals is a key component of that strategy. This paper examines the competition between candidate materials for lightweighting of heavy vehicles and passenger cars. A 53-component, 25 % mass reduction, body-in-white cost analysis is presented for each material class, highlighting the potential cost penalty for each kilogram of mass reduction and then comparing the various material options. Lastly, as the cost of carbon fiber is a major component of the elevated cost of carbon fiber composites, a brief look at the factors that influence that cost is presented.

This book contains eight chapters that discuss the manufacturing methods, surface treatment, composite interfaces, microstructure-property relationships with underlying fundamental physical and mechanical principles, and applications of carbon fibers and their composites. Recently, carbon-based materials have received much attention for their many potential applications. The carbon fibers are very strong, stiff, and lightweight, enabling the carbon materials to deliver improved performance in several applications such as aerospace, sports, automotive, wind energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, defense, and semiconductors. However, the use of carbon fibers in cost-sensitive, high-volume industrial applications is limited because of their relatively high costs. However, its production is expected to increase because of its widespread use in high-volume industrial applications; therefore, the methods used for manufacturing carbon fibers and carbon-fiber-reinforced composites and their structures and characteristics need to be investigated.

Provides introductory information on carbon fiber composites, including polymer-matrix, metal matrix, carbon-matrix, ceramic-matrix, and hybrid composites. Places emphasis on materials rather than mechanics.

Most literature pertaining to carbon fibers is of a theoretical nature. Carbon Fibers and their Composites offers a comprehensive look at the specific manufacturing of carbon fibers and graphite fibers into the growing surge of diverse applications that include flameproof materials, protective coatings, biomedical and prosthetics application

Composite Materials, Volume 3: Engineering Applications of Composites covers a variety of applications of both low- and high-cost composite materials in a number of business sectors, including material systems used in the electrical and nuclear industries. The book discusses the utilization of carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for a number of high-volume products; applications in road transportation; and the application of composite materials to civil aircraft structures. The text also describes the engineering considerations that enter into the selection and application of materials, as well as the composite applications in existing spacecraft hardware and includes projected applications for space vehicles and systems. The application of materials to military aircraft structure; the components applicable to personal and mass-transit vehicles; and composites in the ocean engineering industry are also considered. The book further tackles composite materials or composite structures principally found in buildings; composite uses in the chemical industries; and examples of fiber-glass-reinforced plastic components in key end-product markets. The text also looks into the most commonly employed molding techniques, mechanical and physical properties of various fiber glass-reinforced thermosets and thermoplastics, the resins and fiber-glass reinforcements available, and code information. The chemical, physical, and mechanical properties and application information about composites in the electrical and nuclear industries; and the potential high-volume applications of advanced composites are also encompassed. Engineers and people involved in the development of composite materials will find the book invaluable.

Conventional synthetic materials, like metals, ceramics or glass, are usually isotropic substances, and their suitability for structural applications is achieved by morphological design and combination in the macroscopic scale. However, in modem engineering this is often not acceptable. As an alternative, the use of non-homogeneous, anisotropic materials, with significant stiffness and strength only in the directions these mechanical properties are really needed, can lead to enormous material (and weight) savings. This is the case of multiphase systems called composite materials. In these composites, different material parts are added and arranged geometrically, under clearly designed and controlled conditions. Usually, a structure of fibers provides strength and stiffness and a matrix helds them together, whilst providing the geometric form. Carbon fibers are among the high-performance fibers employed in these advanced structural composites, which are profoundly changing many of today's high technology industries. New research and development challenges in this area include upgrading the manufacturing process of fibers and composites, in order to improve characteristics and reduce costs, and modifying the interfacial properties between fibers and matrix, to guarantee better mechanical properties. The interdisciplinary nature of this "new frontier" is obvious, involving chemistry, materials science, chemical and mechanical engineering. Other topics, which more often are treated separately, are also important for the understanding of the processes of fiber production. Carbon filaments is one such topic, as the study of their mechanisms of nucleation and growth is clearly quite relevant to the production of vapour-grown carbon fibers.

An excellent overview of industrial carbon and graphite materials, especially their manufacture, use and applications in industry. Following a short introduction, the main part of this reference deals with industrial forms, their raw materials, properties and manifold applications. Featuring chapters on carbon and graphite materials in energy application, and as catalysts. It covers all important classes of carbon and graphite, from polygranular materials to fullerenes, and from activated carbon to carbon blacks and nanoforms of carbon. Indispensable for chemists and engineers working in such fields as steel, aluminum, electrochemistry, nanotechnology, catalyst, carbon fibres and lightweight composites.