INTRODUCTION

• Carbon fiber is made from organic

polymers, which consist of long strings of
molecules held together
by carbon atoms. Most carbon
fibers (about 90%) are made from the
polyacrylonitrile (PAN) process. A small
amount (about 10%) are manufactured
from rayon or the petroleum pitch process.
• Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)
finds the greatest use in high
end automobiles and supercars. The
material has a very high strength-to-
weight ratio and is essentially carbon
fiber bounded by polymer such as epoxy
resin.
• Low cost goal would allow the introduction of carbon
fibre-based composites into a greater number of
applications for future vehicles. The approach has
necessitated the development of both
(i) alternative precursors
PAN
(ii) alternative production methods.

• Earlier work on this project involved an investigation into a

range of potential precursor fibres. These included
polyolefins (HDPE, PP and LLDPE), PVC, cellulosics and
polystyrene. However, the results of this work were that
future efforts were focused on two particular precursors,
namely
(i) textile commodity-grade PAN
(ii) lignin-based fibres.
IMPORTANCE
• Carbon fibre composites have been replacing metals in various industries where
lightweight is essential for fuel efficiency.
• High stiffness and strength.
• Lightweight.
• Corrosion resistance.
• X-ray transparency.
• Low CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion)
• Chemical resistivity.
• Thermal and electrical conductivity.
• As a result of research reduction in vehicle mass of 10% results in an improvement in fuel
economy of 6–8%.
• It has the major advantages of carbon fiber over traditional materials like steel, aluminum,
wood and plastics
Application:
Limitations:
Cost Evaluation:
Process cost model material costs
Description Unit cost Wastage (wt %) Part cost

Steel (0.7mm) 0.51 kg 15 1.09

Semipreg body panel system 1 with 49.12 sq.m 40 20.63
surface film
Vacuum bag and consumables 0.53
Carbon fibre (industrial grade, 24K) 10.27 kg 3 4.13
1300 g/m2
Epoxy resin (low cost) 2.50 kg 5 1.11
Epoxy binder 8.95 kg 0.17
Primer 1.26
Release agent 0.15
Conclusion:

• Our study has theoretically confirmed that significant weight savings can be achieved by
the useof carbon fiber–polymer composites solutions.
• The composite solution can be cost effective for small- and mid-volume production levels.
• For higher production levels (around 9000 parts/annum), these steel was the lowest-cost
option.
• Part cost was dominated by capital investment at the lowest volumes, and at the higher
volumes was a balance of fixed and variable costs.
• By undergoing advanced process like directed carbon fibre preforming (DCFP) process
was seen to offer a flexible manufacturing system, capable of producing cosmetic and
structural materials
• This process also has significant reduction in cycle time, and material and labour cost.
• It is likely that the weight saving demonstrated here could be increased in a practical
application; the chosen part gave no opportunity for mass and cost reduction via parts
integration, which can often be achieved with a transition to composite materials.