In
early 2006 I had been been in steady contact with some of the
designers/engineering staff from Cannondale with the intention of
sending an instructor to their facility to raise the level of their
Pro/E 3D skills. While it is often helpful to have a vendor send in some
sample 3D drawings to fully understand the issues, in this case I
requested they send an actual part or prototype of what they were having
some issues with. What ended up arriving was an actual carbon
fiber bike frame and I was immediately impressed with both the
durability and strength of the piece. This also reveals how, despite the
sophistication of 3D modeling programs, there is a valid
reason to sometimes have a physical part on hand to understand not only
the issues of modeling the parts in question but understanding the
nature and qualities of the material
used. This reflected how certain industries such as bike and motorsport
manufacturers were ahead of the curve at that time where carbon fiber
had been known of and in use for decades despite it’s great expense.
More
recently it’s been given a wider visibility as a result of the
aerospace industry where Boeing’s Dreamliner makes use of tons of the
material. Also the auto industry where it’s being viewed along with
Magnesium as a key in reducing the curb weight of automobiles with the
net result of raising fuel efficiency of automobiles.
Carbon
fibers attraction is it’s strength in combination with it’s low density
(light weight). It exceeds the tensile strength of Steel and has a
similar degree of stiffness while at the same time it is slightly
lighter than Magnesium. For these reasons it’s being embraced avidly by
both the aerospace and auto industries. The emphasis
on lightness to achieve greater degree of efficiency and fuel economy
whether with gas or electric vehicles has lead to a greater push in this
direction over the past few years.
Carbon
fibers main downside is it’s manufacturing cost, which as of the fourth
quarter of 2012 is in the range of 10 to 30 dollars per pound. This
compares with about 1 dollar for Aluminum and 2 dollars for Magnesium.
With an keen interest in developing new approaches to manufacture and
putting into place economies of scale, various players in the industry
have established partnerships with the end of substantially reducing the
cost of manufacture. As a result companies like Ford have partnered
with Dow and SGL has partnered with numerous auto companies that have
already become noted for a 100 million dollar plant built in conjunction
with BMW in 2010. The plant was built in Moses Lake, Washington where
the availability of cheap hydroelectric power will aid in cutting
manufacturing costs.
The aggressive use of carbon fiber on Boeing’s Dream Liner (about 50%) has done much to raise the visibility of carbon fiber with 35 tons being used on each 787. The weight savings is significant with 20 percent less fuel being expended than it otherwise would have, had the same shell been made of the more typical aluminum. Toray Industries, Boeing’s supplier, has experienced a huge 6 billion dollar boom as a result of the Boeing contract alone. They have spent over 1 billion on raising their production level and expect a steady increase in demand in coming years as a result of the auto industry. Daimler is already working with Toray.
The
most simplistic analogy to understanding the nature of carbon fiber
would be how the use of straw in clay bricks bolsters the strength and
durability of the brick. Although much more sophisticated, a similar
principal applies here. As in the melting of metals, a significant
amount of the cost of carbon fiber is in the electricity used,
especially in the high temperature, oxygen free furnaces required for
its creation. The actual end result is the blend of these carbon fiber
strands with a resin (often epoxy) hence the term composite. So in
actual fact we might think of this as a resin reinforced by carbon fiber
strands.
Other
companies that have been making aggressive moves in this space include
Johnson Controls, Quantum Composites and Toho. With all the major
players investing and making contractual agreements we can expect rapid
growth in this sector in upcoming years. When firms such as Apple and
Boeing already making large purchases, the race is already on as to who
can bring cost down the quickest and ramp up supply. It should be
exciting to see how things play out over the next several years as we
are now in the early stages (like Lithium Ion batteries) of a long term
trend.
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