Robert R. Lacovara, CCM, CCT-I, president of Convergent Composites

Robert R. Lacovara, CCM, CCT-I, has been in the composites industry for more than 30 years, and he thinks composites manufacturing is at a crossroads. Traditional methods and thinking may facilitate the status quo, he says, but “real transformation is necessary to meet the challenges of our time.” Lacovara is president of Convergent Composites, a consultancy that provides the composites industry with services and insight. From 1989-2009, he was director of Technical Services for ACMA, the originator of the association’s Certified Composites Technician (CCT) program, and former ACMA president.

At COMPOSITES 2012 your education session focus is The Intersection of Technology and the Composites Business. How are those forces coming together today?

I believe emerging technologies will drive the composites business into the future. Today, there are some interesting opportunities for the composites industry, so it’s valuable to examine the fundamental principles of science that will drive new business opportunities for composites firms. For example, one topic I’ll cover in the session at COMPOSITES 2012 deals with transportation systems and that industry’s need for lower vehicle weight and better aerodynamics.

Let’s start with the basic physics that it takes less energy to move a smaller mass. Lighter cars are simply more efficient. And in highway driving, vehicle efficiency is dominated by aerodynamics rather than weight — better aerodynamics equal higher efficiency. We should be using that science to challenge the status quo of Detroit automakers, and specifically the trucking industry, about how they’re making vehicles. If we can change that paradigm, we can create a huge opportunity for companies in our industry. We can lead a change that potentially can drive composites for the next several decades.

What is your main focus when you talk about this “paradigm shift”?

The transportation market is the leading market, especially trucks. As world economies face inevitable competition for petroleum supplies, we are on the cusp of development for new categories of energy-efficient vehicles. But the intersection of technology and the composites business is evident in other markets, too. The emerging requirements for larger wind turbines, seismic protection, ballistic protection and infrastructure applications also lead the way for expanding the composites market.

In the truck market, how can the composites industry reach decision-makers in a way that might lead to action?

As an industry, there are several things we need to do. We need to let the transportation systems leaders understand more about our capabilities. There’s an important education and public relations component at play here. Also, the composites industry has to develop better capabilities. We have the material systems to achieve impressive objectives, but the composites industry needs to put manufacturing systems in place to realize these benefits.

What’s one challenge or issue that’s holding the composites industry back?

Composites are more complex than other materials. Let’s go back to the Detroit example for a moment: Automakers don’t make steel; they buy steel and stamp it. Essentially, what the composites industry is asking them to do is the equivalent of them creating the steel. Because of that, composites are inherently more complex than dealing with traditional materials. They need both and understanding and a feel for composites — to know how and when to use them, and to understand the engineering aspects of composites. By their nature, composites are more complex than the materials they’re used to using.

What will it take to clarify the industry’s message about the value of composites?

There’s definitely a need for education, and it should come from both ACMA and individual companies. It’s the responsibility of each company to enable potential customers to understand what the company does and what its capabilities are. The industry has not done a good job of that to outsiders. We do it well to each other, and some industries, like boatbuilding, have a fairly good understanding of composites. That’s because fiberglass boats have been around for about 60 years, and boat owners talk to each other and discuss equipment on blogs and discussion boards. You won’t find that dynamic among truck owners or fleet operators. Who’s articulating the message to them? We have to do a better job of that.

Is there a starting point to help make that happen?

Maybe the power is in statistics: In the educational session, I’m going to cite that we could save the trucking industry $12 billion a year on fuel costs, essentially by doing nothing mechanically different, other than changing the outdated aerodynamics of trucks. That’s a real $12 billion, meaning the United States could get by with importing $12 billion less in oil. The challenge with communicating the composite industry’s message to truck manufacturers is cultural. Truckers, in many but not all cases, have a vision of the “proper truck” to have a giant, square radiator in the front and all kinds of accoutrements hanging off the body. Look at the Dodge Ram pickup truck, for instance. It has a big, high front end with a giant grille, emulating a semi truck to appeal to a certain kind of mentality. But the drag coefficient—the amount of energy needed to push the truck at highway speeds—is fractionally higher than other trucks. That fraction is a big deal, and translates into between $300 and $400 for the average truck owner annually in fuel economy. They’re appealing to the good ’ole boy trucker at the serious expense of the efficiency of the product. The paradigm shift would be for the truck owner to see something like a truck that looks like a rocket ship — one made with composites materials — and get excited about owning one.

As a seasoned veteran of the composites industry, what do you think needs to happen for more mainstream adoption of composites to occur?

Realistically, composites need to be promoted as a known, track-record-proven material, not some cutting-edge, mysterious material that only certain people are privy to understand. That’s self-defeating. The Load & Resistance Factor Design (LFRD) project is a great example of a first step in terms of making composites engineering properties known in a widespread way. Success will come from creating a solid engineering reputation for composites, rather than a message that seems to suggest, “If you were an insider you’d understand, but you’re not.”

At COMPOSITES 2012, what are you most looking forward to seeing or doing?

I’m always looking for new products and materials that will drive new opportunities. How can we take the new materials available and be more efficient at manufacturing composites? That will be my focus when I’m walking around the show floor. I’ll be trying to picture the intersection of all these new things coming together.

Session Details:

Thursday, Feb. 23
9:00-9:25 a.m.
“The Intersection of Technology and the Composites Business”

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Key numbers and economic indicators for 2012

This post is an addendum to Composites Manufacturing‘s January/February 2012 State of the Industry feature. For a comprehensive Industry Report, pick up a free copy of the January/February 2012 issue.

Marine: Anchored or Ready to Set Sail?

For the first time in several years, the marine segment has better news to report in terms of customer demand and improving business results among boat fabricators. Boat making was one of the early success stories for composites proving itself a better performing and more cost-effective material, and strong market demand made it one of the core segments of the composites industry for several decades. The U.S. marine market matured and leveled off in the 1980’s with 1988 being the peak year in composites usage when 538,000 powerboats and sailboats were sold. Sadly, the trend has been downward almost every year since with the exception of a few years in the mid-1990’s when personal watercraft were taking off and industry unit sales technically surpassed the 1988 record. In 2012, the industry is likely to achieve new boat retail sales of 190,000-210,000 which pales in comparison to the 1980’s and 1990’s, but is good news because it signifies the end of a downward trend of the last many years. U.S. boat sales fell 26 percent in 2009 to 207,000 units and went down another 9 percent to 188,000 units in 2010.

Over the last several years, the marine industry has been forced to consolidate and downsize and the survivors have sought ways to cut costs and raise productivity. Industry leader, Brunswick, now offers 24 separate boat brands, 17 of which it acquired since 2000. Through nine months of 2011 it reported stronger unit sales until divesting its Sealine boat brand in the third quarter. Revenues for the Boat Group were up 9 percent to $820 million and its operating losses were only $12 million compared to $77 million during the same period of 2010. Brunswick commented in its SEC filing for the third quarter that stronger unit sales were offset by the unfavorable effect of a change in sales mix towards smaller boats from larger, higher margin boats.

In May of 2010, the market research firm Freedonia Group published a five year outlook on the U.S. recreational boating industry and estimated the segment would rebound and grow at the rate of 9.3 percent annually through 2014. Not only did that forecast miss the 9 percent decline in 2010, it appears far too optimistic given the lackluster economic recovery underway in the country at large. It might be reasonable to expect the industry could generate that kind of growth for a year or two (possibly 2011 and 2012), and while composites fabricators would love to see boating maintain that pace indefinitely, there does not seem to be enough middle class enthusiasm for large discretionary purchases like a new boat so long as much of the public is still preoccupied with declining home prices and job market uncertainties.

Sports & Rec Outlook

From skis and snowboards to fishing rods, golf clubs and racing bikes, composites are being used more and more to improve performance in a number of sports. Hockey sticks, archery bows, tennis rackets and surfboards are other well-known sports applications. As such, the market is fragmented and growth comes in spurts and starts as individual products are introduced and, hopefully, accepted. While there’s no denying the success of composites in delivering light weight and strength in these products, the consumer thus far has been fickle in terms of their willingness to make the purchase decision for a discretionary item. 2011 retail sales growth in the U.S. is expected to grow about 6-8 percent and will continue in 2012, albeit at a slower pace. Even if the payroll tax is extended, customers will rein in spending early in 2012 as they pay off credit cards and return to rebuilding their savings.

Aerospace, Military and Ballistics

Today the aerospace, military and ballistics segment represents approximately 3 percent of the total volume demand for composite materials but it easily reaches 10-15 percent of the sales value, largely because of their expensive reinforcements and/or high performance resins and sometimes because of the more costly engineering and fabricating processes required to mold these sophisticated materials. Carbon fiber, aramid, S-2 glass and other exotic fibers are the typical reinforcing materials and some E-glass yarns and rovings are used sparingly. The segment has supplied carbon fiber-reinforced components for use in military and civilian aircraft during the last few decades and significantly advanced its penetration of the commercial aircraft market with Boeing’s mostly-composite design of the new 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB.

The aviation portion of this segment looks forward to a very healthy demand outlook for commercial aircraft. Boeing Corporation’s “Current Market Outlook: 2011-2030” predicts that global air travel will grow 6 percent in 2011 and should continue to growing at or above the historical trend of 5 percent through the middle of this decade. While the number of passengers is estimated to grow 4.2 percent over the long term and the number of revenue passenger miles will grow 5.1 percent, the actual increase in the size of the global commercial fleet will be only 3.6 percent. In hard numbers, the worldwide fleet will grow from 19,410 planes at the end of 2010 to 39,530 planes in 2030, a net gain of 20,120, but factoring in the number of aircraft that will be retired over the next 20 years raises the required build to 33,500 aircraft.

While that is a very respectable order backlog to address, the number of composite-intensive new airliners will be in the minority. Boeing currently has the capacity to produce only two Dreamliners per month and hopes to raise this figure to 10 by the end of 2013. Fully 70 percent of the total aircraft to be built in this forecast period will be single-aisle passenger jets with nominal amounts of composites. Another moderating factor in assessing the demand for U.S. composites fabricators and suppliers is that a growing percent of the composite components will be sourced overseas. As an example of how global the sourcing of composite aircraft parts has become, Boeing announced at the recent Dubai Airshow that it had signed an agreement establishing Mubadala Aerospace of the United Arab Emirates as a major Tier 1supplier of composite aerostructures. It also was no coincidence that Boeing announced at the same event that it would sell $26 billion in planes to Emirates Airlines.

Meanwhile, military demand for lightweight conventional defenses and weaponry has created many ingenious applications of composite materials since the original military uses of fiber glass during World War II. Blast panels for use in constructing barracks and mess halls in the theater of operations and improved armor for light weight vehicles like the Humvee are but a few common applications widely adopted by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the more high-volume applications have already begun to phase down and are likely to continue shrinking. A strong signal of the trend in future purchases was President Obama’s 2011 federal budget which proposed that total Department of Defense (DOD) expenditures should rise by 3.4 percent or only 1.8 percent after adjusting for inflation. This ties nicely with other administration stated goals like “rebalancing the force” and “reforming how DOD does business” elaborated by Defense Secretary Gates in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) the year before. Many suppliers of military-oriented products have already noticed a reduction in spending and we can expect leaner defense budgets for the foreseeable future.

Heavy Truck Sector

The heavy trucks industry segment represents less than 5percent of total new vehicle builds but accounts for a disproportionately large amount of composites consumption. Large truck composite features include exterior components, aerodynamic applications above the cab, jumbo-sized panels used in trailers and side skirts that can run most of the length of the trailer. As of the fourth quarter of 2011, we saw good strength in truck sales as replacement buying follows the absence of equipment buys from 2007-2009 (graph 6). Recovery in the medium-duty truck market (class 4-7) has been more subdued than heavy duty (class due to weakness in construction, small business and public-sector markets. On the other hand, operators of large rigs seem to be pressing ahead with long-delayed buying programs.

Trucking serves as a rough barometer of overall economic activity because it accounts for 67 percent of the tonnage carried by all modes of domestic transportation. According to the American Trucking Association, truck tonnage rose 5.7 percent in October from a year ago, the 23^rd consecutive month of year-over-year growth. On a monthly basis, October’s tonnage rose 0.5 percent from September. These modest growth rates in operating volumes will be exceeded in new truck unit sales in 2011 and 2012 because truckers have cut back on fleet size during the recession. The number of big rigs on the road is approximately 12 percent less than the 2006 peak year, yet tonnage levels are about the same as in late 2006. Class 8 sales are expected to rise 46 percent to 156,100 units in 2011 and 191,000 units in 2012. There is upside potential here, too, because replacement demand is currently driving the heavy truck recovery but fleet expansion is on the horizon for the more successful carriers. And looking further out, recovery in construction-sector activity should finally hit its stride in another year or two, which should allow the next stage of truck recovery to materialize.

Toyota FT-EV II

Vehicle Lightweighting
In 2011, the automotive industry started dropping a few thousand pounds off the weight of compact cars and trucks to increase fuel efficiency. Carbon fiber suppliers, such as the SGL Group and Quicksilver, contracted with European auto giants like BMW and Audi to get ready for a new wave of composite automotive parts.

First 787 Delivery

Terrafugia Transition

Cars with Wings
“It’s 2012, why don’t we have flying cars?” Well, soon you’ll have the opportunity to purchase one. The Terrafugia Transition is expected to hit the roads in 2012 and will cost upwards of $250,000. There are several other roadable aircraft prototypes currently being tested, which suggest that more designs may be on the way.

SpaceShipTwo by Scaled Composites

Personal Space Travel
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic providing customers with personal space travel, aided by the development of SpaceShipTwo by Scaled Composites. But there are also companies, like XCOR, building commercial spacecraft for two people to be shot out into space from Caribbean-island Curacao in 2014. Even several Russian companies and Bigelow Aerospace in the U.S. are building space hotels for this growing industry.

Asimo by Honda

Is that a robot?
Honda recently upgraded its Asimo robot to run, pour drinks, communicate through sign language and do other cool tricks, making it the most inundated robot ever built! Even the military is supporting new robot technology. An updated AlphaDog robot – modeled to look and operate like, well, a dog – and its LittleDog brother are manufactured by Boston Dynamics and sponsored by DARPA. Alpha can walk over 20 miles of rough terrain and carry 400 pounds.

Knickerbocker Bridge

Bridging the gap
More bridges like Knickerbocker Bridge, the longest composite bridge in the world, are using composites to extend the life and reduce maintenance life of installations. This is increasing the visibility of composites in large structures and giving DOTs the opportunity to learn more about the material.

What was your favorite composite engineered product from 2011? Weigh-in now!

Bruce Benda—Vice president of automotive and transportation at Bayer Material Science

Bruce Benda is the vice president of automotive and transportation for Bayer MaterialScience LLC. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Benda grew up in the Detroit automotive industry where his father worked for General Motors for more than 30 years. He has worked with Bayer since 1985 and has spent a large portion of that time working in the global automotive industry. He recently returned from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefings where much discussion surrounded President Obama’s announcement of his intention to raise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 54.5 mpg by the year 2025.

What is your focus and how does that apply to the composites industry?

We supply chemical building blocks to tier one and tier two suppliers for the automotive industry. We find ourselves between crude oil and automotive. We’ll take materials and turn them into plastics, coatings, adhesive and polyurethane resins which are used in the manufacture of head lamp assemblies, instrument panels, handles and the headliner above head in vehicle, etc. Our global headquarters is in Germany, and we have a strong presence in the European automotive market as well as Asia Pacific and NAFTA.

What do you see driving automotive the industry right now?

Simply put, automotive lightweighting leads to improved fuel economy. I’ve looked at the statistics in automotive for the last couple of years to better understand what’s happening to materials. There is an evolution over the last ten years concerning the weight of the materials. The average weight of car at the end of the 90s was around 4,000 pounds, maybe slightly less. And that stayed relatively constant until 2009. Plastics and composites have grown an average of 3.8 percent over that same period of time.

How does this impact the composites industry?

Composites have been playing an increasingly important role over the last several years. Within our company composites have become more relevant; polycarbonates grew at 5.6 percent per year over the 10 year period ending in 2009; slightly less than 20 pounds per vehicle. Over that same period polyurethane usage grew 1.4 percent per year, comprising approximately 60 pounds per vehicle. Looking forward, the U.S. government is reaching for 54.5 mpg. The challenging situation is that the automotive industry has to increase fuel economy and thus look into a variety of solutions, for example turbo charging an engine to minimize the size and weight without sacrificing performance and efficiencies in the power train. Overall, we need to take weight out of the vehicle. Ford talked about taking 200-700 pounds out of its vehicle over the next 5-8 years. Without being specific, they talked about how lightweighting is a significant factor for the automotive industry in order to reduce fuel consumption and the carbon footprint. The challenge is to make vehicles lightweight while maintaining competitive cost, materials functionality and modular constructions without compromising safety while also allowing design flexibility to meet consumer comfort expectation.

What is the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing?

At CAR meetings, executives come together to talk about a number of things involving the automotive industry; these are mainly high-level talks; we don’t get to the specifics. For example, when Ford mentioned cutting 200-700 pounds, it briefly mentioned how it planned to achieve this goal and materials selection was mentioned generally as an approach to make that happen.

What are lightweighting options?

One way to cut weight is to turbo-charge a 4-cylinder engine instead of integrating a heavier 6-cylinder. It’s smaller, more lightweight and the structure supporting it might be less massive. We think glass replacement is an obvious opportunity area for plastics and composite material. Clear polycarbonate can save up to 50 percent of the mass instead of glass with some sort of thermoset polyurethane surrounding or framing the polycarbonate for a roof module. Using a thermoplastic frame would be a modular concept to replacing a glass centered module, reducing the car’s center of gravity, which can help from a performance stand point as well.

How does the American market compare to the global economy?

China moves quickly. China is emerging as the biggest consumer and producer of vehicles in the world and they have many cities that are becoming mega cities – 22 million people live in Shanghai alone. The Chinese are committed to the use of electric vehicles instead of tinkering with internal combustion. That also means they’re open to looking at technologies for making electric cars efficient. Lightweighting technology companies seem to be more willing to discuss options that are not mainstream to help reach goals of fuel efficiencies.

Europe and America are very good at being methodical in their approach for their technologies. Polycarbonate glazing has penetrated in European markets more than North America. The Asian market is very important for polycarbonates and polyurethane – manufacturing in general. It’s important to have a presence in Asia, which is why Bayer is making new investment there.

What are some key issues you think that keep the industry from growing?

Acceptance of change is still the largest hindrance. When you are competing with materials like steel and glass that have been around since the beginning of the automotive industry, trying to change materials takes time. You have to build up credibility and applications. Secondly, companies want to make sure that the technology you provide is on the road and proven. All of us have to create business cases. If you build it, it will come. Credibility is the only way companies can make a sound business decision. We are willing to make that leap.

Where do you see problems with composites currently?

We, the automotive industry, have to be good at creating value propositions. We’re looking at integration, modularity, removal of substructure and wall thinning to make sure we’re creating a good value proposition. The automotive industry needs evidence in numbers that the composites industry has been successful.

What was the reaction of the industry to the 54.5 mpg initiative?

The automotive industry reacted in general by saying this is a positive development and a significant challenge. Companies are indicating that the new standard will drive innovation in materials and concepts that are already available. There have been challenges over the last couple years, but now that the industry has gotten healthier they are affording themselves the luxury of in-depth analysis for fuel economy. 54.5 mpg is a catalyst for driving innovation in industry.

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Composites in Hydrogen Fuelled Design

Mercedes Benz F125! Concept

Mercedes Benz celebrated its 125 anniversary with the debut of the F125!, a hydrogen-hybrid concept car. The F125! uses a hybrid chassis made of FRP composites and a metal alloy to lightweight the design as well as an integrated a carbon fiber hydrogen tank to contain the hydrogen fuel cell. The composite design is the first fuel tank to be integrated into floor assembly and acts as a structural element of the car. The concept car runs similar to a Chevrolet Volt in that it uses a lithium-sulphur battery pack interchangeably with hydrogen fuel but operates without expelling emissions. Mercedes predicts that the technology used in the F125! may be used to replace Mercedes luxury CL Class in 2025 and some of the sleek exterior components will be replicated in the 2013 S Class.

The new Eterniti Hemera uses carbon-composite body panels to lighten the design and to provide stability in the chassis.

Best SUV Concept

Eterniti Hemera

Eterniti Motors, a new British luxury car company based in London, drew attention from automotive enthusiasts with its first car monikered the Hemera, named after the Greek goddess of daytime. Eterniti claims the car is the first “Super SUV” capable of reaching top-speeds around 180 mph with a 620 horsepower engine based on an upgraded Porsche twin-turbo 4.8 liter used in the Cayenne Turbo (the Porsche engine only runs 500 horsepower). It uses carbon-composite body panels to lighten the design and to provide stability in the chassis. The design is headed by Hemera’s Lead Engineer Alastair MacQueen, Formula One engineer and designer of the Jaguar, and influenced by Le Mans racing driver Johnny Herber. The company has not revealed the price of the Hemera but the baseline price tag is estimated at $237, 000.

 Smart Composite Design

Smart Forvision Concept

A new electric concept design by Smart, in collaboration with German-based chemical company BASF, reveals its future use of passive engineering strategies and carbon fiber composites to increase fuel efficiency in its designs by 20 percent. The Forvision uses reflective paint and windows in addition to increased foam to reduce heat transmission in and out of the car, significantly reducing the energy used to maintain a comfortable temperature in the Smart concept. Smart uses FRP wheel rims, carbon fiber composite doors and body cage to lightweight the already light Smart car. Smart envisions that the new composite elements will make the Smart Forvision even safer when combined with the steel cage, which is rated four stars for front impact and five stars for side impact by U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A2 will not be produced until 2015 and the company is currently investigating alternate fiber material, possibly basalt, to mix with aluminum for light weight and cost-efficient parts.

Eco-friendly Rivalry

BMW i3 and the Audi A2

Two cars are in competition for the most energy and cost saving methods to change the face of the electric automotive world. The BMW i3 concept announced earlier this summer made its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The i3 uses carbon fiber to provide lightweight material in the passenger compartment framework as well as the roof panel. It is expected to be a production car in late 2013, utilizing a new hydro power plant in Moses Lake, Wash., to produce the carbon fiber in a joint venture with SGL Carbon. The Audi A2 electric rival also debuted at the auto show and criticized BMW for using carbon fiber, which is costly and emits carbon dioxide during manufacturing. The A2 will not be produced until 2015 and the company is currently investigating alternate fiber material, possibly basalt, to mix with aluminum for light weight and cost-efficient parts. However, Audi is still using carbon fiber in sections of the A2, including the transmission tunnel and rear bulkhead.

Angie McPherson is the communications coordinator at ACMA. Email comments to amcpherson@acmanet.org.

“A keystone decision made during the meeting was to expand membership to include thermoplastic manufacturers and suppliers rather than only thermoset molders, as originally specified," says ACA President Mark Murfitt

The American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Automotive Composites Alliance (ACA) met for the first time in two years at the Society of Plastic Engineers Composites Conference & Exhibition (SPE ACCE) in Detroit, Mich. The goal was to use the SPE ACCE forum—ripe with automotive composite engineers—to gauge whether or not the automotive industry needs an advocate group like the ACA to educate end users about composite materials.

According to Michael Dunn, ACMA manager of the composites growth initiative, the ACA was well received by the automotive composite industry and he expects the committee to be prepared for the next meeting at the 2012 COMPOSITES Show in February. “The ACA relaunch certainly sent a buzz around the attendees, mainly composite engineers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), at the conference,” says Dunn.

The ACA is led by Committee Chair Mark Murfitt, director of market development at Core Molding Technologies, in Columbus, Ohio. At the meeting, Murfitt opened the floor to discuss the needs of the committee. “It was important that every attendee had the opportunity to voice their opinions on past ACA events and happenings as well as discuss what we would like to see moving forward. It was encouraging to see the level of enthusiasm in the industry for the ACA. I believe that people will recognize the value in the Alliance and once they do they will step up to be a part of it,” says Murfitt.

One of the main goals of the ACA is to meet with automotive OEMs and industry representatives. Murfitt believes that the recent trend towards vehicle lightweighting could potentially change the composite automotive market. “Right now OEMs have a focus on developing lightweight vehicles in the future and that opens up opportunities, not just the composite industry, but for other alternate materials as well. This is partly why we opened membership to thermoplastic composite manufacturers and suppliers in addition to the traditional thermoset members. We want ACA to be a market focused alliance based on all potential composite applications, not just a material alliance,” says Murfitt.

A keystone decision made during the meeting was to expand membership to include thermoplastic manufacturers and suppliers rather than only thermoset molders, as originally specified. By expanding the membership, the ACA represents the full automotive composite market—from thermoplastics used to manufacture headliners, dashboards, bumpers, shielding, etc., and thermosets used for parts under the hood, in exterior frames, as well as interior structural and cosmetic applications. “I think the decision to include thermoplastics is positive. I expect this will give us a wider perspective of composite influence and industry advances,” says Dunn. To follow up on this decision, the ACA will reach out to the automotive industry for interested members and non-members who would like to contribute to the alliance before the next meeting.

The ACMA-sponsored reception provided a forum for the group to meet again and answer questions from the automotive industry about the reformation of the ACA group. “People were stopping me at the reception who liked what they saw at the meeting. The timing of the reception allowed just enough space for the meeting attendees to digest the information. One of the biggest questions we received from SPE ACCE attendees was, ‘How are things going to be different? What gives value to the reestablishment of the group?’” says Murfitt. “The challenges we are facing today are different from the ones the industry saw a few years ago. I expect that our new goals will be different to the previous ACA. The attendees were a mix of previous members and some who had never heard of ACA before. I expect to open the group up to new ideas and members.”

The ACA is currently determining the charter, scope and direction of group to present to the ACMA Board of Directors. Murfitt and Dunn are searching for automotive industry representatives who would like to be involved in ACA activities. Murfitt would like to establish a strong membership base before filling the vice chair and treasurer positions in February. For more information on ACA activities or how to get involved, contact Mike Dunn at mdunn@acmanet.org.

To read what ACA President Mark Murfitt has to say about the industry, click here or for more stories like this one, search for key term “automotive composites”.

Angie McPherson is the communications coordinator at ACMA. Email comments to amcpherson@acmanet.org.

Project: Self-diagnostic composites

School: Michigan State University

Location: East Lansing, Mich.

Director: Soonsung Hong

Imagine if something goes wrong with a military ground vehicle during a mission in the Iraqi deserts. Should the tank commander abort the mission or continue? Researchers at the Composite Vehicle Research Center (CVRC) at Michigan State University are working on self-diagnostic composites to help the U.S. Army make such decisions. “Having embedded sensors in these vehicles would allow the military to evaluate the vehicle’s condition immediately without getting out,” says Nicholas J. Gianaris, director of the CVRC.

Under the direction of Soonsung Hong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, a research team is developing fiber-optic sensors embedded in smart composites as well as laser-optic diagnostic tools to detect very small flaws in composite structures, such as the chassis or body panels of a military ground vehicle. The goal is to prevent catastrophic failures of composite structures in ground, air and marine vehicles without expensive tear-down inspections, says Hong. The structure would diagnose its own health and residual life through real-time monitoring.

The work on self-diagnostic composites is just one project conducted at the CVRC, which was founded in 2007 in partnership with the U.S. Army and Navy. “The mission of the center is to support composites research and implementation of that technology on any type of vehicle for the air, ground and sea,” says Gianaris. Other areas of focus at CVRC include multi-functional composites, composite joining, design and manufacture, biomimetics, structural integrity and impact resistance.

Hong’s research applies to commercial vehicles as well as military ones. “Self-diagnostic composites can be used with intelligent vehicle dynamics systems engineered by companies such as Ford and General Motors,” says Gianaris. “Systems such as GM’s StabiliTrak and other traction control systems depend heavily on sensors to keep the car stable on a curvy and slippery road. Our research can reduce the weight and complexity of passenger vehicles that use these safety systems.”

The CVRC is forming an industrial collaboration center to help grow its applied research and technology projects. “We want to take the results of the work we are doing and transfer it to companies,” says Gianaris. Having tested its capabilities on smaller components in the lab, the CVRC wants to build a full-scale vehicle and demonstrate the potential of composites, including self-diagnostic techniques.

To read more stories like this, click here.

Jeffrey Helms – global automotive director at Ticona Engineering Polymers

Jeffrey Helms is the global automotive director for Ticona Engineering Polymers, in Auburn Hills, Mich., and is responsible for managing the firm’s dealings with automotive OEMs around the world. His experience and expertise encompasses engineering plastics, composites, coatings, urethanes, as well as materials regulatory requirements. Previous to assuming his current position, Helms was responsible for high-performance engineering plastics solutions, as Ford Motor Company’s Global OEM Manager.

What is impacting composite adoption in the auto industry?

The main drivers are weight and costs. There plenty of opportunities for further penetration of composites use in vehicles such as under the hood and vehicle exteriors. Fuel economy targets are driving vehicle weight reduction, and also the fact that, ultimately, automakers are still cost sensitive.

What are areas of opportunity to reduce weight with composites?

Weight is the new cost and lightening the vehicle can be accomplished in multiple ways. You see composites used in instrument panel systems, door modules and center consoles. There is some adoption in seating too, and spare tire hubs need pretty good stiffeners. There are also composite battery trays and engine covers.

How can more weight reductions be achieved through composite automotive applications?

There are composite structures in front-end systems, and there are parts — the radiator, the fan and headlamps — that are routinely made of both plastic and metal parts and the metal requires multiple stampings. We try to eliminate some of those parts by fabricating multiple individual parts into one composite piece.

The auto industry is getting more comfortable with composites now that it has a little experience with the material. The tools and data in the industry also are getting more sophisticated. For example, front ends are pretty standard these days as well as door molding. There are many instrumentation panels and consoles that have been made of composites and aluminum for some time.

What are the trends in bio-fiber composite technology?

Bio-fiber is being used but it’s still on the fringe. You see some usage among automakers as part of a sustainability strategy but, you don’t get the same kind of structural performance because natural fibers just don’t get you there.

Are the fuel economy CAFE standards hastening composite adoption?

I suspect there will be other standards after 2017, and as a result there is going to be a big demand for lighter vehicles. We’ll see a broader range of adoption in what was looked at in the past as a premium factor. You can already see aerospace is going down that path.

How will the growing popularity of electric-powered vehicles impact composite adoption rates?

Weight is more important within electric vehicles (EV). Therefore, mass weight reduction is probably a leading factor in an EV or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). We’ve studied this quite a bit. The optimistic prediction is that electric vehicles will be 10 percent of the market in the next few years. Pessimistically, that prediction is three to five percent. Either way, it’s all being driven by fuel costs. When gas hits $7 a gallon in North America, composites will look very cost effective.

Research and development in higher learning institutions around the globe is critical. It leads to breakthroughs that benefit industry and humanity. Composites Manufacturing did some research of its own to present a sampling of noteworthy achievements from various universities. This story, about cellulose nanocomposites, is the second in a series of stories this month.

This scanning electron micrograph is an example of cellulose nanofibrils.

Project: Nanocomposites made from cellulose

School: University of Maine

Location: Orono, Maine

Director: Douglas J. Gardner

While most researchers think big, Douglas Gardner thinks small—really, really small. The professor of wood science and technology leads the Nanocomposites Research Group at the AEWC Advanced Structures & Composites Center at the University of Maine. Nanocomposites are composites with dimensions less than 100 nanometers. Just how little is that? The average width of a single human hair is approximately 50 micrometers: One nanometer is 1/50,000 the width of a human hair.

The focus of the research group is to utilize lower-cost nanocomposites made from cellulose (the main part of plant cell walls) to develop the next generation of lightweight, high-performance, bio‐based materials for a variety of defense, infrastructure and energy applications. “Cellulose derived from wood—Maine’s most abundant natural resource—is a promising source for low-cost, renewable nano-structured materials,” says Gardner. He envisions new applications for automobile components, additives in paint and coatings, aerogels, barrier coatings, water filters, tissue scaffolds, scaffolds for catalysts and more.

Adding small amounts of cellulose-based fillers to thermoplastic matrix polymers to create nanocomposites can enhance the mechanical, thermal and barrier properties, says Gardner. Cellulose fibers exhibit low density, low damage during processing, biodegradability, low energy on processing equipment, high stiffness and a relatively low price compared to inorganic fillers, he adds.

Gardner and his fellow researchers received a boost recently when the Advance Structures & Composites Center (AEWC) added a new, world-class nanocomposites laboratory to manufacture and test nanocomposites on a pilot scale. The research group has manufactured cellulose nanofibril-filled thermoplastic composites and characterized those materials using mechanical tests and thermal analysis. It’s currently examining the drying of cellulose nanofibrils via spray drying in a pilot program at the university’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute. In addition, The University of Maine has a cooperative research agreement with the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory to produce nanofibrillated cellulose on a pilot scale.

Though Gardner is unaware of any significant commercial applications, there are scale-up activities to produce considerable quantities of cellulose nanofibrils in Canada, Europe and Japan.

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