Introduction Lightweight materials are an integral component in product design and integration across several industries@ including aviation and automotive@ where driving dynamics and efficiency are key factors. The automotive sector has taken a keen interest in lightweighting@ from 1941 when Henry Ford unveiled his plastic bodied car made from hemp@ sisal@ and cellulose-based plastics. Currently@ the Boeing 787 and the BMW I series are constructed largely of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) support structures. Additionally@ the use of CFRP based bearings for an Airbus A340 horizontal tail and car fenders have led to a weight reduction of 50 and 30 percent@ respectively [1]. Legislation and regulations in the form of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards first enacted by Congress in 1975 have been a major driver in improving the fuel economy of automobiles and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The CAFE standard for 2025 (Figure 1) is set to have a fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg@ which would translate to over $1.7 trillion in consumer savings and prevent emissions of 6 billion metric tons of CO2 [2]. Automakers employ several approaches to meet their CAFE targets@ chief among which are transmission@ electrification@ hybrid technologies@ and lightweighting. However@ as seen in Figure 2@ vehicle weight has been generally increasing because OEMs have been adding features [4]. The CAFE standards for 2025 have propelled the automotive industry to renew their focus on lightweighting materials. While steel has traditionally played a major role in the automotive industry@ it is increasingly being replaced by alternatives in the form of aluminum@ magnesium alloys@ and plastics. The replacement of metals by composites in automotive core structure@ body@ or powertrain offers significant weight reduction@ as shown in Figure 3. Greater reduction can be achieved in structural and nonstructural components such as underbody cover@ dashboards@ roof@ frontend@ and door modules.
SAE PT-165-2015 history
2015SAE PT-165-2015 Biocomposites in Automotive Applications