Organic fibres

Some Articles:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Porsche recently unveiled their new “Bioconcept-Car” built primarily with organic materials. The automaker teamed up with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI to discover how to reduce component weight by substituting with carbon fibers.

According to registration statistics, the latest cars are progressively becoming heavier. This is primarily due to improved safety functions and increased integration of electronic equipment. This weight gain leads to higher fuel consumption.

Unfortunately, e-cars still require larger, meaning heavier, batteries. This has led to further development in lightweight design. At present, the favored solution has been lightweight steels and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics. While effective, they present manufacturing and recycling challenges—diminishing the overall positive environmental impact.

The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the first car in series production to feature body parts made of natural-fiber composite materials. It was developed in the Application Center for Wood Fiber Research HOFZET (which is part of Fraunhofer WKI), along with the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites IfBB of Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The Cayman is a lightweight vehicle, weighing only 1320 kilograms.

Instead of steel, the driver and passenger doors as well as the rear wing were built with a combination of organic fibers. This helped reduce 60% of weight from the vehicle.

The composite materials consist of a thermostat polymer matrix system reinforced with organic fibers. This organic fiber mesh was the best candidate being the most readily available and versatile material. It can be easily produced into precise dimensions and parts but still exhibits high tensile strength, even when combined with other conventionally manufactured components.

According to Fraunhofer WKI, these aspects were highly significant prerequisites in order to push through with high-volume production. Other environmental factors were also evaluated such as end-of-life recycling or reuse and scale-up approaches for in-demand parts.

"After extensive testing under extreme conditions on the racetrack we continued to evaluate our parts, which ultimately led to the conclusion that these ecologically beneficial organic materials fulfill the criteria for volume production," says Ole Hansen, project manager at Fraunhofer WKI.

The Cayman has been successfully tested on the Nürburgring last August by Smudo, frontman of German rap group “Fantastische Vier,” who is also the regular pilot of the Four Motors “Bioconcept-Car.” He was also joined by German Federal Minister for Food and Culture, Julia Klöckner.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Car parts of the future could be made out of a surprising material. Wood.

Researchers in Japan are working to create a strong material out of wood pulp that could replace steel parts in vehicles within a decade.

Work is also charging ahead in the country to develop plastics that can withstand high temperatures, to replace metal for parts near the engine.

These innovations are part of a wider industry push to make cars lighter.

"There is a rush to try and cut as much weight as possible, especially on cars which will pollute more, like SUVs [sports utility vehicles] or pick-up trucks," says Paolo Martino, principal automotive components analyst at IHS Markit.

Slimmer cars consume less fuel. The US Department of Energy says a 10% reduction in vehicle weight can improve fuel economy by up to 8%.

Manufacturers also want to make electric models as light as possible so they can travel further on a single charge, and help resolve the battery "range anxiety" faced by car owners, Mr Martino says.

And that's where the humble tree could come in. After all, wood has been used to build ships, homes and furniture for millennia.

Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan say a material made from wood pulp could be as strong as steel, but 80% lighter.

The team chemically treats wood pulp, which consists of millions of cellulose nanofibres (CNFs), and disperses these CNFs into plastic.

Blending CNFs with plastics creates a strong, hybrid material that could replace steel in auto parts, they say.

Prof Hiroyuki Yano, who leads the work at Kyoto University, says the material could be used to make door panels, fenders and car bonnets. The researchers are working with the Japanese government, carmakers and other manufacturers to develop the material.

Cellulose nanofibres are already used in a range of products, from ink to transparent displays.

While the material faces plenty of competition from more commercially established lightweight options, like carbon fibre, Prof Yano believes CNF-based parts could be viable alternatives.

But Vivek Vaidya, senior vice president at consultancy Frost & Sullivan, has some doubts.

He thinks it's feasible that "non-performance" parts - anything but the engine, transmission and wheels - could be mass-produced from wood pulp-based materials, but that parts manufacturers might struggle to keep pace with auto production lines.

"Most components are supplied on-demand, [so] whether a wood or organic material can be made available in a just-in-time way is definitely a question mark," he says.

Separately in Japan, researchers are working on specialised plastics for car parts.

Prof Tatsuo Kaneko, from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, is developing plastics made with biological molecules.

The new material is also lighter than steel and can tolerate temperatures of up to 300C, the researchers say.

"Plastics haven't been used in car parts requiring higher heat resistance around [the] engine block because they haven't been able to withstand the heat," Prof Kaneko says.

"But the bioplastics I have produced can withstand higher temperatures."

He's working with a number of Japanese carmakers, auto part and electronics makers - as well as foreign companies - on the research.

And one of the biggest advantages of using the material, which he says could be a viable alternative to steel in around five years, would be a drop in vehicle weight.

While lighter plastic car parts might help cut vehicle emissions and increase the range of electric cars, doesn't their manufacture bring other environmental risks?

Prof Kaneko acknowledges that substituting materials like glass for bioplastics could increase pollution, as the waste is non-biodegradable.