Hybrid Carbon-Biocomposite Automotive Structures at bio!CAR 2015
- 3rd November 2015
- Composites Evolution
- Reading time: about 2 minutes
Composites Evolution presented “Hybrid Carbon-Biocomposite Automotive Structures with Reduced Weight, Cost, NVH and Environmental Impact” at the inaugural bio!CAR conference which took place on 24th and 25th September, 2015, alongside Composites Europe at the exhibition centre in Stuttgart, Germany.
The conference concentrated on biobased materials for automotive applications and was organised by bioplastics MAGAZINE and nova-Insitute. According to organisers, the bio!CAR conference was aimed at reflecting the trend towards using bio-based polymers and natural fibres in the automotive industry where it says more and more manufacturers and suppliers are betting on bio-based alternatives derived from renewable raw materials such as wood, cotton, flax, jute or coir, all of which are being deployed as composites in the interior trims of high-quality doors and dashboards.
Composites Evolution discussed results from the UK funded CARBIO Project, with Jaguar Land Rover. The project aims to develop automotive structures with reduced weight, cost, environmental impact and improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) by the incorporation of novel flax-bioepoxy composites into carbon fibre components.
Gareth Davies, Composites Evolution Sales Manager says, “There is a growing impetus for the use of natural, lightweight, plastics in the automotive sector. The adoption of carbon fibre-epoxy composites to reduce vehicle weight is presenting significant challenges to the volume automotive industry. Flax fibres are low cost, renewable, CO2 neutral and have excellent vibration damping properties, whilst bio-based epoxy resins offer enhanced toughness and sustainability over synthetic epoxies. During the presentation I will show important results that demonstrate the value that biocomposites, and specifically flax, can add to the automotive sector.”
Gareth spoke alongside Dr. Dee Harris of Jaguar Land Rover.
The CARBIO project is part-funded by Innovate UK. The partners are Composites Evolution, SHD Composite Materials, KS Composites, Delta Motorsport, Jaguar Land Rover and Cranfield University
About the author
Composites Evolution
Composites Evolution is a dynamic and agile UK-based manufacturer of prepregs for lightweight composite structures. We are dedicated to supporting our customers, and our goal is to be your number one partner for specialist prepregs, through world-leading innovation, sustainability, customer service and responsiveness.
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