A second use of the term points to carbon fiber fabric — the woven or unidirectional textiles produced from bundles of carbon filaments, before being combined with resin.

Carbon fiber filaments are much thinner than a human hair—around 5 to 7 microns in diameter—yet far stronger, which explains their crucial role in high-performance composites

Finally, carbon fiber filaments may also be referred to as carbon fiber. These are extremely thin strands, typically around 5 to 7 micrometers in diameter, much finer than a human hair. They are composed of long chains of carbon atoms arranged in a highly ordered structure, giving them exceptional tensile strength and stiffness.

Filaments are usually bundled together into tows containing thousands of fibers, which then serve as the basis for producing fabrics and composites.

How is carbon fiber made?

Carbon fiber is produced from organic polymers known as precursors, most commonly polyacrylonitrile (PAN). About 90% of all carbon fibers are made through the PAN process, while the rest originate from rayon or petroleum pitch. Not all carbon fiber is identical and different qualities and grades are achieved depending on the manufacturing method and the gases, liquids, and other materials used.

Carbon fiber production begins with PAN precursor, which undergoes stretching, oxidation, carbonization, and graphitization before surface treatment, sizing, and winding into tows ready for composite manufacturing.

The production of carbon fiber involves several controlled stages:

• Spinning – the precursor is mixed with other ingredients, spun into fibers, washed, and stretched.
• Stabilizing – chemical treatment alters the fibers to make them thermally stable.
• Carbonizing – the stabilized fibers are heated at very high temperatures, forming tightly bonded carbon crystals.
• Surface treatment – oxidation of the fiber surface improves bonding with resins.
• Sizing – a protective coating is applied, and fibers are wound into tows or yarns for further use.

What resins are used for carbon fiber composites?

In the vast majority of cases, when people talk about carbon fiber composites, they are referring to carbon fiber combined with an epoxy resin. Epoxies dominate because they offer excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and fatigue performance, making them the default choice for aerospace, automotive, and high-performance applications.

Epoxy resin is the most common polymer matrix for carbon fiber composites, delivering high strength, durability, and chemical resistance in aerospace, automotive, and advanced engineering.

Other resins can be used, but much less frequently.

Polyester resins are cheaper, though they provide lower performance. For this reason, they are more commonly paired with glass fiber, which is also more economical, rather than with carbon fiber.

Vinyl ester resins sit somewhere in between, offering greater toughness and chemical resistance than polyester but not quite matching epoxy, which explains why the most common combination remains carbon fiber with epoxy resin.

There are also special-purpose resins. Phenolic resins are valued for their fire resistance and low smoke emission, making them suitable for specific applications.

Another example is the resin we used at Managing Composites in the European research project MC4, focused on circularity in composite materials. For this project, we built a kayak in composite materiales which can be reshaped and reused at the end of life of the product thanks to a vitrimer resin developed by CIDETEC. This resin is a thermosetting polymer that behaves like a thermoset at service temperatures but can be healed or partially reprocessed by applying heat and pressure.

Key characteristics of carbon fiber

• High strength-to-weight ratio. Carbon fiber composites can achieve the strength of steel at a fraction of the weight.
• High stiffness. The ordered atomic structure of carbon filaments provides exceptional rigidity.
• Anisotropy. The properties of carbon fiber composites depend strongly on the orientation of the fibers, which allows engineers to tailor stiffness and strength in specific directions.
• Fatigue resistance. Properly designed carbon composites maintain their properties under repeated stress cycles better than many metals.
• Corrosion resistance. Unlike metals, carbon fiber does not rust and shows good resistance to chemical attack, although galvanic corrosion may occur in direct contact with aluminum.
• Thermal properties. Carbon fibers withstand high service temperatures depending on the specific resin matrix.

Common Applications of Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber has steadily expanded from its origins in aerospace and defense into a wide range of industries. As manufacturing methods improve and costs gradually decrease, it continues to gain prominence in new sectors, where its strength, lightness, and durability unlock performance advantages that traditional materials cannot match. Today, it is found not only in high-tech engineering but also in products that are part of everyday life.

The Airbus A350-1000 is built with over 50% carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites, reducing weight while boosting fuel efficiency and performance.

Some of the most common applications include:

• Aerospace: Aircraft structures, helicopters, turbine parts, aircraft interiors, and space components.
• Automotive: High-performance cars, electric vehicles, body panels, motorbike parts, and structural reinforcement.
• Sporting goods: Bicycle frames, tennis rackets, surfboards, skis, and helmets.
• Marine: High-performance boat hulls, masts, and kayaks.
• Wind energy: Reinforcement of specific parts of turbines.
• Civil engineering: Strengthening and retrofitting of concrete and infrastructure.
• Medical devices: Prosthetics, surgical instruments, and imaging equipment.
• Drones, robotics, armors, etc.

Why is carbon fiber the best material for hypercars?

In 1980 McLaren built the MP4/1, the first Formula 1 car with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Its success transformed motorsport, with every F1 team quickly adopting the technology — a standard that remains today.

Hypercars and supercars borrowed directly from this racing heritage and beyond body panels, carbon fiber is now used in monocoques, interiors, wheels, small components, and many more parts.

From Bugatti to McLaren and Koenigsegg, today’s hypercars rely on carbon fiber composites to achieve unmatched lightness, strength, and performance.

Strength to weight ratio

The performance of a car depends less on its absolute power than on its power-to-weight ratio. Since carbon fiber enables the necessary strength to be achieved at lower weight, it makes cars lighter and their power results in higher performance.

Rigidity and safety

Carbon fiber provides extreme stiffness while also offering excellent crash protection. Composite structures offer wide design possibilities to create tailor-made architectures that dissipate energy in a precisely calculated manner, offering outstanding protection for the occupants of the vehicle.

Prestige and exclusivity

Beyond performance, carbon fiber has become a symbol of cutting-edge technology and craftsmanship. Its distinctive woven look is instantly associated with hypercars, reinforcing their status as the pinnacle of automotive engineering.

Design optimization

Carbon fiber is anisotropic, meaning its strength varies depending on the orientation of the fibers. Additional layers can be added or removed to achieve higher or lower strength, and reinforcement can be applied only in the specific areas of a part where it is required. These variables, among many others, make it possible to optimize components in ways that are unattainable with other materials.

PROS & CONS of Carbon Fiber

Q&A

• Why is carbon fiber so expensive?
  Because its production involves costly precursors and complex processing, although for certain applications it is the more cost-effective option.

• Is FRP carbon fiber?
  Not always. FRP means Fiber Reinforced Polymer; carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is just one type.

• Is carbon fiber a thermoplastic or a thermoset?
  The fibers are neither. Most composites use thermoset resins (epoxy), but thermoplastic versions also exist.

• Is carbon fiber stronger than steel?
  Yes. It can be as strong as steel while being about five times lighter.

• Can carbon fiber be recycled?
  Traditional composites are difficult to recycle, but new resins such as vitrimers allow reprocessing.

• What is a carbon fiber monocoque?
  A one-piece chassis made of carbon fiber composite, combining stiffness, lightness, and crash protection.

• Can carbon fiber parts be repaired?
  Yes, but repairs can be complex and require specialized techniques.

• Is carbon fiber always black?
  Usually, yes — but resins or hybrid fibers can add color.

• What is better, a fiberglass or a carbon fiber paddle?
  Carbon fiber is lighter and stiffer; fiberglass is cheaper and more flexible.

• Who invented carbon fiber?
  Edison made the first fibers in 1879, but modern high-strength fibers came in the 1960s.

• What is carbon fiber prepreg?
  Carbon fabric pre-impregnated with resin, ensuring quality and consistency, cured under heat and pressure.

Carbon fiber components, like this aerodynamic detail on a supercar, combine lightness, strength, and design precision to enhance performance.

TL;DR

• Carbon fiber can mean composite, fabric, or filaments. The most common meaning is composite: carbon fiber + resin.
• Epoxy resin + carbon fiber is the most common combination. Other resins like vinyl ester, phenolic or vitrimers are for very specific uses.
• Mostly made from PAN (polyacrylonitrile) via multi-stage process.
• Key properties: strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness, anisotropy, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, thermal stability, design flexibility.
• Applications: aerospace, automotive, marine, wind energy, sports, medical.
• All hypercars use a carbon fiber monocoque and body panels.
• Pros: performance, design freedom, prestige. Cons: high cost, recycling challenges, complex manufacturing.

The post What is exactly carbon fiber? appeared first on Managing Composites.

What is a Sandwich Structure?

A sandwich structure consists of two strong, stiff face sheets (skins) bonded to either side of a lightweight core. The skins carry the in‑plane tensile and compressive loads, while the core maintains the spacing between them increasing the momentum of inertia and resisting shear forces. This makes the structure particularly strong due to the way it distributes loads, working in a similar way to an I‑beam.

The sandwich structure is very simple, yet very effective, as it reinforces the material with a minimum increase in weight.

By separating the high‑strength material into outer layers, the bending stiffness increases dramatically without a proportional increase in weight. This is why sandwich structures are so widely used in sectors such as wind energy, automotive, and aerospace.

Core Materials for Sandwich Structures

The outer skins of a sandwich structure can be made from many different materials, including metals, but one of the most popular options is composites. For the core, there is also a wide range of materials that pair well with skins made from carbon fiber , aramid or glass fiber.

Foam Core Materials

One of the most popular core material is foam.

• PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) foam is widely used because it is compatible with infusion, prepreg, and RTM processes, and it offers a very favourable balance of cost, processability, and mechanical properties.
• PMI (Polymethacrylimide) foam is another popular choice thanks to its excellent specific stiffness and its ability to withstand temperatures up to 180 °C (356 °F), making it highly desirable in automotive and aerospace applications.

Foams are widely used as core materials in composite sandwich structures.

Honeycomb Cores

Honeycomb cores have proven particularly effective for withstanding the loads experienced by the core. Several materials can be used in this configuration:

• Nomex® aramid honeycomb is very popular in high‑performance applications thanks to its excellent fire resistance, low weight, and dielectric properties.
• Thermoplastic honeycomb made from PET or polypropylene is used in lightweight applications requiring some degree of impact resistance.
• Aluminium honeycomb offers excellent thermal conductivity and compressive strength. While it is heavier than other options, it can be ideal where extreme lightness is not required. If combined with carbon fiber skins, a protective treatment must be applied to prevent galvanic corrosion from direct contact between the two materials.

Natural Core Materials

Two popular natural options for sandwich cores are:

• Balsa wood: the lightest known wood, with a long tradition in wind turbine blade manufacturing and marine applications. It must be sealed to prevent moisture absorption, but it offers excellent compressive strength.
• Cork: increasingly used for its outstanding acoustic and vibration damping properties, with the added benefit of being a renewable material.

Composite materials have unique characteristics thanks to the combination of two or more constituent materials. Their use in sandwich structures further enhances their mechanical performance by working in synergy with the core. This makes sandwich construction a valuable tool for engineers seeking to maximise the potential of materials for each specific application.

The post The Composites Heroes: Sandwich Structures appeared first on Managing Composites.

Processed basalt fibers in loose filament form, ready to be incorporated into composite materials

But it’s not the only fiber with the potential to transform materials engineering. Basalt fiber, produced by melting volcanic rock and extruding it into continuous filaments, has long been seen as a promising alternative — at least in theory.

The Promise of Basalt Fiber in Composites

On paper, basalt fiber composites can deliver many of the same advantages as carbon fiber composites:

• High tensile strength and good stiffness.
• Excellent chemical resistance, particularly to alkalis.
• Thermal stability and non-conductivity.
• A less energy-intensive production process compared to carbon fiber.

Basalt fiber also has some appealing environmental credentials, being derived directly from abundant natural rock. In theory, these benefits could make basalt a strong contender for applications in automotive, marine, or sports equipment — especially in contexts where the extreme stiffness of carbon fiber is not strictly necessary.

Why Basalt Fiber Never Went Mainstream in Composites Manufacturing

Despite its potential, basalt fiber has not achieved widespread adoption in high-performance composite manufacturing. Some of the challenges that have limited its popularity include:

• Lower stiffness than carbon fiber, making it less suited for applications where rigidity is critical.
• Heavier density compared to carbon fiber, affecting weight-sensitive designs.
• Limited availability of specialized processing know-how and supply chains compared to the mature carbon fiber industry.

As a result, while basalt fiber composites exist, they have remained a niche option rather than a mainstream engineering solution.

Finding the Right Niche: Concrete Reinforcement

Interestingly, basalt fiber has found a highly effective niche — not in aerospace or automotive, but in concrete reinforcement. In this application, its properties align almost perfectly with performance requirements.

• High tensile strength and crack-bridging capability help improve the ductility of concrete.
• Superior resistance to alkalis means basalt fiber does not degrade in concrete’s naturally alkaline environment, unlike glass fiber.
• Non-corrosive nature eliminates the rusting issues associated with steel reinforcement.

In reinforced concrete, basalt fibers can significantly improve flexural and tensile strength, reduce crack formation, and enhance durability — all without introducing corrosion risk. The result is a material that offers better long-term performance for infrastructure, marine structures, and other demanding civil engineering projects.

Natural basalt rock formation with its characteristic vertical columnar structures

From Unrealized Potential to Real-World Impact

Basalt fiber’s journey illustrates a truth often seen in materials science: the “best” material on paper isn’t always the one that dominates the market. Despite its early promise as a carbon fiber competitor, basalt has instead found a home in an entirely different industry, where its unique properties solve real, high-value problems.

And while basalt fiber composites have not yet rivaled carbon fiber in aerospace or supercars, research projects are ongoing, and at any moment something could be discovered that completely changes the situation. Meanwhile, basalt fiber has proven that, in the right context, it can be the perfect material for the job.

The post Basalt fiber: From Carbon Fiber Alternative to a Perfect Match for construction appeared first on Managing Composites.

This article explores what forged carbon is, where it excels, where it doesn’t, and how it fits into the future of performance-oriented composite engineering.

Forged Composite on prototype engine bay cover. Bw570, CC BY-SA 4.0

What is forged carbon—really?

Forged carbon, also known as forged composite, is made by compression moulding short, randomly oriented carbon fibers with resin. Unlike traditional prepregs or woven fabrics, forged carbon uses chopped fiber bundles that are distributed and compacted into complex shapes under high pressure and temperature.

This method enables geometries that would be unfeasible with continuous fibers. It also results in a unique, repeatable visual pattern—an attribute that has captured the attention of the luxury automotive and design sectors.

Forged carbon vs. continuous traditional carbon fiber: key differences

Understanding what forged carbon can and can’t do begins with comparing it to traditional continuous fiber composites.

• Continuous fiber composites offer maximum directional stiffness and strength. Fibers can be precisely oriented to match expected loads, achieving very high mechanical performance. However, these materials are less suitable for highly complex geometries.
• Forged carbon, by contrast, sacrifices directional performance in exchange for design flexibility and good isotropic behavior. Its random fiber orientation limits peak strength, but makes it more adaptable to multi-axial loads and unconventional shapes.

Performance matters: what the data shows

In a tests published by Easy Composites using their forged carbon fiber kit, the material demonstrated a flexural modulus of 35.5 GPa, a tensile strength of 192 MPa, and a density of 1.5 g/cm³. These properties were measured using real-world specimens manufactured without autoclave, simulating accessible fabrication conditions.

Compared to 6082-T6 aluminum, forged carbon showed a significantly higher strength-to-weight ratio in bending tests. While aluminum displayed higher modulus, forged carbon resisted nearly double the load before failure in three-point flexural testing (220 kg vs. 120 kg). Its lower density—about 44% less than aluminum—means forged carbon can offer superior mechanical efficiency in specific applications.

It’s worth noting that the fiber orientation in forged carbon is random, resulting in near-isotropic mechanical behaviour, which can be advantageous in components subjected to multi-directional loads. However, consistency and directional performance remain below what can be achieved with continuous fiber laminates cured under controlled conditions.

A clutch cover and a brake lever made of forged carbon by Easy Composites

Where forged carbon excels—and where it doesn’t

Forged carbon is particularly well-suited for:

• Complex-shaped parts with variable thickness, recesses or non-developable surfaces.
• Luxury interiors or visible parts, where the aesthetic of forged carbon is desired.

However, it is not recommended for:

• Load-critical structural parts, like monocoques, suspension links or roll structures.
• Applications under defined unidirectional stress, where continuous fiber composites are clearly superior.
• Contexts with minimal mechanical tolerance, as its fiber randomness introduces moderate variability.

A material with a future

Forged carbon is not a replacement for continuous fiber composites—it’s a complement. Its aesthetic-mechanical balance, ability to integrate recycled carbon fibers, and growing market presence make it a valuable asset in the portfolio of any advanced composite strategy.

From hypercars to high-end consumer electronics, forged carbon is opening a space where performance engineering meets expressive design. And as always, when used with criteria and control, it delivers much more than appearance—it delivers results.

The post The Truth About Forged Carbon Fiber: What It Can (and Can’t) Do appeared first on Managing Composites.

Composites are almost perfect materials — lightweight, strong, and incredibly versatile. But to make them truly perfect, we need to close the loop. That’s why we were thrilled to take part in the MC4 Project: a European initiative focused on boosting the circularity of composites. Because for us, innovation doesn’t stop at performance — it means rethinking how materials are designed, used, and re-used.

Figure 1. Final review with the European Commission at the Waste Lab Bizkaia

How We Applied Circular Composite Manufacturing in Project MC4

For the MC4 Project, the European Union selected 16 European companies with advanced technical capabilities to address every stage of improving composite circularity. Collaboration between partners was essential — not only to develop innovative solutions, but to ensure they could work together in real-world applications. At Managing Composites, our role focused on the manufacturing of a kayak using 3R vitrimer resin developed by CIDETEC: a reprocessable thermoset that infuses and performs like a conventional epoxy, but can be softened with heat, reshaped, and reused. The infusion was carried out at 60°C, the initial cure at 130°C, and the post-cure at 150°C — validating a process that aligns performance with circularity.

Figure 3. Asier Martín, Ronan Lecoeuche, Eduardo Nicolás representing Managing Composites at the final review presentation of the project

The kayak itself was conceived as a hybrid between a touring and a sit-on-top model — a deliberate choice to combine performance, accessibility, and manufacturing simplicity. Designed with circularity in mind from the outset, the hull and deck were built in two bonded parts, featuring sleek lines and clean surfaces to facilitate both fabrication and future transformation. The masters were produced using proven marine construction techniques: low-density foam cores, hand-laid glass fiber layers, and resin paste, all CNC-machined to the final geometry. To ensure dimensional stability and reusability, the molds were reinforced with a hybrid of carbon and glass fiber.

Reprocessing Composites: A Real Example of Circularity in Action

But building the kayak was only half the challenge. To truly demonstrate the potential of circular composites, we had to go further — and that meant deconstructing what we had just built. After testing, the kayak was trimmed, cleaned, and carefully flattened using heat and pressure. The recovered laminate was then bonded using a vitrimer adhesive and repurposed into a new form: a paddle. The transformation was done in a precision-machined stainless steel mold, under 180°C and 40 bar of pressure. Once cooled, the new component was trimmed, finished, and painted — completing the journey from product to raw material to product again.

Figure 3. The repurposed kayak was exhibited at the 2025 JEC World in Paris.

This process demonstrated how circularity can be applied to composites — not as a theory, but as a viable manufacturing reality. We now know what it takes: the right materials, the right design strategy, and a clear end-of-life plan. The next step is to bring this vision into real industrial environments — scaling processes, optimizing costs, ensuring repeatability, and adapting to production realities without compromising on performance or sustainability. At Managing Composites, innovation and experimentation are part of our DNA. Projects like MC4 are not the end goal, but a starting point — another step forward in our commitment to push the boundaries of what composites can do.

The post From Kayak to Paddle: Making Circularity Real in Composites appeared first on Managing Composites.

While shape memory alloys (SMAs), such as nickel–titanium, have long been the most widely used SMMs due to their high actuation force and reliability, growing interest in new materials and possibilities has led to growing R&D investment in shape memory polymers (SMPs).

Figure 1. The most popular memory shape material is nitinol, a nickel titanium alloy used for vascular stents among many other uses, for their ability to withstand external compression forces.

One of the most promising evolutions in the field of shape memory materials is the development of shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs). By reinforcing SMPs with fibers, nanoparticles, or other functional fillers, researchers are expanding their mechanical strength, functionality, and environmental resistance—without sacrificing the inherent advantages of polymers, such as low weight and design flexibility.

These composites can simultaneously achieve high actuation strain and improved stiffness, conductivity, or thermal properties, opening the door to high-performance applications. Among the different families of shape memory polymers, epoxy-based SMPs (SMEPs) are attracting particular attention due to their excellent mechanical performance, thermal stability, and chemical resistance.

Figure 2. An artificial muscle comprised of prestrained films of PPG-MPU (3.8 g) actuates a full-size mannequin arm (0.6 kg) upon heating. Photo Credit: ACS Central Science 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00829

Epoxies are already well-known in structural and high-performance applications, and their transition into the field of smart materials is a natural evolution. SMEPs combine the adaptability of SMPs with the structural integrity of epoxy networks. Their highly crosslinked structure allows for precise programming of the shape memory behavior, while offering superior dimensional stability compared to thermoplastics. Current research is focusing on tuning their properties through tailored curing systems, molecular design, and hybrid formulations—resulting in systems with faster recovery, multi-shape capabilities, and even self-healing features.

Figure 3. Smart grabbing device with shape memory polymer composites (SMPC) activated through external heating system. Photo Credit: Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

There is no doubt that shape memory polymers and their composites will see increasing real-world applications in the future, opening up a new range of possibilities for smart materials.

Stay tuned!

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Engineers quickly understood the advantages of movable aerodynamic surfaces. Just as quickly, championships banned their use to prevent them from monopolizing vehicle development, since this is undoubtedly one of the disciplines that can offer the greatest performance advantage.

Today, more and more car manufacturers are incorporating this technology into their vehicles for two main reasons. The first is to improve aerodynamic efficiency and thus energy consumption. The second—especially in high-performance vehicles—is to generate the right amount of downforce in real time, depending on the driving conditions. In both cases, composites are extremely useful, but in the latter scenario they become essential.

Not only the rear spoiler is active. In this example, the Porsche 911 Turbo S extends or retracts its front spoiler lip depending on the selected driving mode and vehicle speed. Additionally, the cooling air flaps open or close to regulate airflow through the air intakes and reduce drag whenever possible. Credit: Porsche

How do active aerodynamics work?

The system operates through multiple sensors that provide input to a “brain” that processes the information, assesses the vehicle’s current state, and interprets the driver’s intentions. Based on this, it instructs actuators to place the movable aerodynamic surfaces in the optimal position for each circumstance, all in real time and with extremely fast response speeds—several times per second.

Each design is different, but the rear wings of some hypercars can be subjected to extremely high aerodynamic loads at high speeds, which demands an extremely robust structure. At the same time, hypercars pursue the lowest possible weight to optimize performance. High strength and low weight? You can see where this is going.

Why composites for active aerdynamics?

Composites are ideal for constructing active aerodynamic elements. They can be shaped into almost any form while adding as little weight as possible—an especially critical factor for components like rear wings, which are positioned high and far from the car’s center of mass.

Another benefit of their low weight is that the support structures and pivoting joints that allow these components to change position can also be made lighter, reducing the overall weight of the mechanism. Additionally, if the moving parts are lighter, the actuators required to move them can also be lighter and more energy-efficient, again reducing the system’s weight and the power that needs to be drawn from the engine—regardless of its type.

The track oriented Zenvo TSR-S rear spoiler can adapt its lateral angle of attack by up to 20 degrees to optimize the performance also when cornering. Credit: Zenvo

The excellent strength-to-weight ratio of some composites, such as carbon fiber, also allows movable surfaces to change position more quickly. This means they can adapt to the vehicle’s dynamic behavior in real time and provide more effective assistance to the driver at all times.

Composites are the preferred material for building active aerodynamic components due to their unbeatable strength-to-weight ratio. They not only provide outstanding mechanical strength at high speeds, but do so while adding minimal weight—making their implementation more than worthwhile.

The latest trend in movable aerodynamic components is the use of flexible carbon fiber body panels that can change the vehicle’s shape according to the desired aerodynamic profile at any given time. This approach helps eliminate panel gaps, reduces aerodynamically exposed support structures, and even integrates entire elements such as the rear spoiler directly into the vehicle’s body. This results in a better drag-to-downforce balance and, ultimately, improved performance and efficiency.

New composite technology allows the McLaren Speedtail to have integrated ailerons that flex, reducing gaps and therefore aerodynamic disturbance. Credit: McLaren

In short, active aerodynamics are playing an increasingly important role in vehicles—whether to boost performance or improve energy efficiency. Composite materials have proven to be ideal partners for this technology, so it’s likely we’ll see even more movable aerodynamic elements made from composites in the future.

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• The tendency to absorb moisture, affecting dimensional stability and durability.
• Lower thermal and mechanical resistance compared to more conventional composites such as carbon fiber.
• Variability in mechanical properties, as they are natural materials exposed to environmental conditions and require harvesting and processing.

Interior carpeting of a cars door made by a biocomposite of hemp fibres and polyethylen. Credit: Christian Gahle, nova-Institut GmbH.

Technological Advances in NFCs: Treatments and Improvements

Recent research projects have focused on overcoming the limitations of Natural Fiber Composites (NFCs) in the automotive sector. Let’s see what those key advancements are.

Physical Treatments

• Plasma and corona treatment: These methods modify the surface energy of fibers, improving their adhesion to the polymer matrix without altering their chemical composition. This enhances resin compatibility and increases mechanical strength.
• UV and heat treatment: UV and heat exposure minimizes moisture absorption, enhances thermal stability, and extends durability under demanding conditions.

Chemical Treatments

• Alkalization (NaOH): Sodium hydroxide treatment removes impurities such as lignin and hemicellulose, increasing the exposed cellulose content and improving adhesion with the polymer matrix. This results in higher mechanical strength and reduced water absorption.
• Silane and acetylation: Silane coupling agents and acetylation promote covalent bonding between fibers and the matrix, reducing hydrophilicity and enhancing moisture resistance and material durability.
• Peroxides and benzoylation: These treatments generate free radicals that improve adhesion between the fiber and matrix, increasing the composite’s thermal and mechanical resistance. They also reduce fiber degradation and enhance structural stability.

Nanoparticle Incorporation (TiO₂, ZnO, SiO₂)

The integration of nanoparticles into NFCs creates a protective barrier that minimizes moisture absorption and reinforces the material’s structure. Additionally, these additives improve UV resistance and thermal degradation resistance, extending the composite’s lifespan.

Bright future

These advancements have made NFCs more stable, durable, and suitable for a wider range of automotive applications. While the industry has primarily employed NFCs for vehicle interiors, an increasing number of structural and bodywork components are now being developed using these materials.

Just a few years ago, the idea of NFCs in high-performance applications seemed unfeasible, but today, Formula 1 teams and other motorsport disciplines are experimenting with NFC-based components. At Managing Composites, we firmly believe that with the right engineering approach, there are very few limitations for NFCs. This is why we have taken on the challenge from LIUX to develop the monocoque chassis of their BIG model using linen fiber.

LIUX BIG monocoque chassis made of flax fiber. Credit: LIUX

When Are NFCs the Best Option?

Returning to the initial question—when should NFCs be chosen? In our view, nearly any development is feasible with NFCs today. Synthetic materials, especially high-performance composites, still hold mechanical advantages that make them the preferred choice when absolute performance is the only priority, particularly for structural components.

However, for non-structural developments and industrial or commercial applications, NFCs are becoming an increasingly attractive option. Thanks to continuous applied research, their performance is improving daily. When sustainability factors are introduced into the equation, NFCs often become the winning choice in an ever-growing number of scenarios.

Ultimately, advancements in fiber treatments and resin formulations are driving NFCs toward broader adoption in the automotive industry. Their use will continue to rise, particularly in structural and semi-structural components where sustainability is a key driver. As the performance gap between NFCs and traditional composites narrows, we will see them play an increasingly prominent role in future automotive designs.

The post When Should Cars Be Made of Natural Fiber Composites? appeared first on Managing Composites.

The extraordinary growth in the use of advanced composites (especially fiber reinforced plastics) is justified by their impressive features and properties, such as amazing strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, high static strength, good fatigue/damage resistance, excellent dimensional stability under a wide range of temperatures, and many others.

This graph shows how composite usage in aircraft has increased over the years. How high can we get? Will we ever reach 100%? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

Bibliographical Reference:

Advanced Composite Materials for Aerospace Engineering – Processing, Properties and Applications, Page 2.

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Once all the air has been removed from the bag and the reinforcement has been fully compressed under this pressure, liquid resin (mixed with hardener) is introduced to the reinforcement through a pipe which then infuses through the reinforcement under the vacuum pressure. Once the resin has fully infused through the reinforcement, the supply of resin is cut off and the resin is left to cure, still under vacuum pressure.

This video shows an 82 feet Viking yacht’s hull being infused last year!

Video credits: Galati Yachts

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