PNNL leads team to accelerate development of affordable carbon fiber composites
News Brief
November 28, 2017 
RICHLAND, Wash. - Researchers at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab, along with experts from industry and academia, have developed predictive engineering tools for designing new, economical, and lightweight automotive composites. This approach should speed the development of more economical carbon fiber materials.
Lower cost, lighter weight materials are needed for improved fuel efficiency. By model year 2025, U.S. regulations mandate that the average fuel economy standard meets 54.5 miles per gallon, a 60 percent improvement over the 35.5 mpg required now.
While stronger and lighter than steel, carbon fiber composites are relatively expensive. For widespread adoption to occur, new, economical composites that meet mechanical and safety requirements - such as long carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resins like polypropylene and nylon - need to be developed. Rather than building molds, molding parts, and testing new composites, computer modeling can speed the process. Using the engineering software validated by the PNNL-lead team, manufactures will be able to "see" what the structural characteristics of suggested carbon fiber composites designs would be like before they are molded.
As part of the project, PNNL also analyzed the costs of long carbon fiber components versus standard steel and fiberglass composites. PNNL found the carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite technology studied could reduce the weight of automobile body systems by over 20 percent.
PNNL partnered on the plan with:
Read more about the predictive engineering plan in this PNNL highlight.
Tags: Energy, Fundamental Science, Computational Science, Energy Efficiency, Software, Materials
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed and operated by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
