Africa Automotive News September-October digital issue 2019

Opinion
Creating composite
car parts
Jari Sopanen, Head of Sales Region at
Exel Composites Plc
“One type of car that can massively
benefit from composite components
are electric vehicles (EVs).”
Thermoset composites are formed
using glass, carbon, or aramid
fibers, which are then combined
with resins such as polyesters, vinyl
esters, epoxies, or phenolic resins. These
composites are used in various industries,
but are particularly prominent in the
manufacturing of aircraft and spacecraft
parts.
Thanks to research and development
in the aerospace sector, composites are
also being used across other forms of
transportation due to the high demand
for lightweight vehicles and components.
This trend, called light-weighting, seeks
to use innovative materials to reduce the
weight of products. As a result, composite
materials are being increasingly used in
production, especially for automotive
parts and components.
According to the American Composites
Manufacturers Associations, fiberglass is
one of the key reinforcing materials used
in the US thermoset composites industry.
Thanks to its durable properties, it is a
good replacement for steel in vehicle
structural components, including drive
shafts, bumpers and roof beams
Reducing component weight is crucial
for raising the efficiency of automotive
systems. For example, carbon fiber has
comparable properties to steel, but is
only one-fifth the weight. Regardless of
the mode of transport, it is easy to see
the benefits that shaving this amount of
weight from a vehicle will achieve.
Additionally, when directly compared
to steel, composite materials can meet
or surpass the automotive industry’s
material property demands, including
low coefficients of thermal expansion for
heat conduction, dimensional stability for
shape retention, corrosion resistance in
wet conditions, and high-impact strength
to withstand repeated use.
The low weight of composite components
also helps provide good sound baffling
and an overall quieter performance.
One type of car that can massively
benefit from composite components are
electric vehicles (EVs). Batteries are heavy
and, although technology is advancing
at a blistering pace, it is highly likely that
the bulk battery weight will not decrease
as any miniaturisation will be used to
install more batteries to increase range
and power.
Minimising component weight is,
therefore, critical and fiber glass and
carbon fiber alternatives are incredibly
suitable for this light weighting, especially
for EVs. For example, EV batteries must
be held in special boxes to protect them
but also to prevent any discharge from
shocking passengers.
Metals are conductive, which makes them
unsuitable whereas most composites
aren’t, meaning that when made from
composites, which possess a higher
strength to weight ratio, they are perfect
for this application. Due to EVs current
limited distance range, shaving off weight
can produce strong marginal gains.
Composites are gearing up to feature in
more than just structural components for
cars. In fact, many Asian countries are
increasing their composite production,
because composite materials are
becoming increasingly popular in
their electronics sector, especially with
companies supplying to the automotive
sector.
While North America and Europe
account for a key share of the global
thermoset composites market, which is
expanding due to the local automotive
and aerospace industries in these regions,
an increase in demand for electric and
lightweight vehicles is also anticipated to
propel the composites market in the Asia
Pacific region and beyond.
With governments across the globe
looking to implement more rigid energy
efficiency standards, shedding vehicle
weight is an achievable objective that
can help car manufacturers to meet
regulations. Composites material
developments means that now they
are much better suited to automotive
applications in comparison to steel and
it is time for car manufacturers to start
considering the material as a viable
solution.
16 Africa Automotive News l 2019 September-October issue l 2019