Compared with traditional materials, composite materials have many advantages, such as high specific strength, light weight, high specific modulus, good fatigue resistance and good vibration damping performance. Each component material of the composite material plays a synergistic role in performance, and has superior comprehensive performance that cannot be compared with a single material. Therefore, in the automotive industry, composite materials are widely used in the design and manufacture of body parts, lamp housings, front and rear fenders, bumpers, leaf springs, seat frames and drive shafts.
In the design of composite materials in the automotive industry, three principles should be paid attention to: 1) high specific strength and high specific stiffness; 2) materials are compatible with the environment; 3) cost-effective. In addition, when designing the body, there are some empirical methods, such as: carbon fiber composite materials are used in areas with high stress; plywood composite materials are used in areas where toughness and stiffness are relatively high; laminates can be used in areas with complex geometries.
The performance of composite materials is suitable for the requirements of lightweight body and reduces fuel consumption. The traditional automobile body material is in a single state mainly composed of thin steel plates, which cannot meet the requirements of people's pursuit of high speed and light weight. the above requirements. The self-weight of the car is reduced by 50kg, and the driving distance of 1L of fuel can be increased by 2Km; if the self-weight is reduced by 10%, the fuel economy can be improved by about 5.5%. Many types of composite materials have gained the stage to display their talents in the process of lightweighting of the body, and have become very proficient in the process of lightweighting of automobiles. The purpose of lightweight vehicles is to save energy and reduce emissions. At the same time, environmental protection has become an indispensable condition for sustainable development strategies, and the development trend of composite materials is moving towards extended service life and renewable direction.
