Carbon Fiber Technology Center - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In order for the full utilization of carbon fiber in automotive applications. (Which is necessary to lower weight.) The cost of raw carbon fiber needs to decrease. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is taking on this challenge using $34.7 million in DOE ARPA funding; they are establishing a Carbon Fiber Technology Center. According to their website:

The center will be capable of producing up to 80 tons per year of low-cost carbon fiber for evaluation and use by industry and government partners. Primary equipment will include a thermal (conventional) carbon fiber conversion line and a melt-spun precursor fiber production line. Space and utility provisions are planned to add an advanced technology conversion line.

The overall goal of this technology center is to lower the cost of carbon fiber 50%. This could be a major breakthrough not only to the automotive industry in gaining better fuel efficiency, but many other applications of carbon fiber where high-strength and lightweight is crucial.

Photo Credit: ORNL

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Aptera and Composite Materials

Any start-up composite material company is likely having a hard time finding funding right now. As the federal government seems to be the best source for early seed money, electric car companies such as Fisker, Tesla, and Aptera are all waiting and hoping for loans from the Department of Energy.

Meanwhile, a company like Aptera, who's production is on hold until additional funding rolls through, is in a tough situation as they need to remain ready for production, but need to conserve cash. In a recent Wired Article, two of the original Aptera founders have been let go in addition to other Aptera employees.

The article also states that they are redesigning some of the features. Currently, the windows do not roll down, and if you want to go through a drive through or talk to a friend outside, you must open the door. So to correct this, they are changing the design. Like most molded composite products, Apteria likely will have to redesign the door structure, build new molds, and manufacture/test new composite panels.

Let us all hope success for Aptera, automotive companies utilizing composites, and all other start-ups who work with composite materials.

Photo Credit: Kevin Marks via flicker

Composite Road Mats - For Oil Fields

The US consumes a ton of oil, far more then we produce, and according to a DOE EIA Report, the US imports about 2/3'rds of the oil consumed, with Canada providing the largest portion of oil to the US. As of June 2009, the US was consuming 2 million barrels of Canadian Oil, or Alberta Tea as I like to call it...

To get these 2 million barrels a day to pipelines, massive temporary roads are constructed, going over the difficult terrain of the tundra and swampy bogs. Giant 8' x 15' mats are placed together to create a road. These roads have massive trucks with heavy loads going back and forth over uneven ground. Needless to say, these mats take a serious beating.

Traditionally, mats are made with thick planks of wood and steel frames. These however are extremely heavy, and do not last as long as desired. More recently, composite materials are being introduced using light weight sandwich panels. The requirements are not easy as the panels need to be stiff, withstand wear and impact, and be able to connect to other panels.

Here is a recent article from the Oil & gas inquirer, describing a composite road mat system using a polypropylene honeycomb core and FRP skins. The article also discusses alternative methods to constructing these roads using wood chips over geotextile mats...

Photo Credit: jakesmome via flicker