Automobile Materials Competition: Energy Implications of Fiber-Reinforced Plastics,

Abstract

The embodied energy, structural weight, and transportation energy (fuel requirement) characteristics of steel, fiber-reinforced plastics, and aluminum were assessed to determine the overall energy savings of materials substitution in automobiles. In body panels, a 1.0-lb steel component with an associated 0.5 lb in secondary weight is structurally equivalent to a 0.6-lb fiber-reinforced plastic component with 0.3 lb in associated secondary weight or a 0.5-lb aluminum component with 0.25 lb of secondary weight. (Secondary weight refers to the combined weight of the vehicle's support structure, engine, braking system, and drive train, all of which can be reduced in response to a decrease in total vehicle weight.)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1981
Accession Number
ADA303194

Entities

People

  • J. Cummings-saxton

Organizations

  • Argonne National Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkenes
  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Calorific Value
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Injection Molding
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Mechanical Working
  • Mechanics
  • Plastics
  • Polymeric Films
  • Reinforced Plastics
  • Resins

Readers

  • Economics
  • Pavement Materials Engineering.
  • Structural Dynamics.