MATERIALS | REINFORCEMENTS
shares, as of 2021, are identified as wind turbine blades (39%), aerospace (15%), sports/leisure (12%), and automotive (7%). Due in part to this anticipated demand growth, Hyosung Advanced Materials says it plans to invest $765m to increase production capacity its factory in Jeonju, Korea, to 24,000 tonnes/yr by 2028. Earlier this year, SGL Carbon announced Sigrafil
Above: BMW’s iX electric car uses a metal hybrid windscreen structural member produced in a Wipag PA6 compound with recycled carbon fibres
recycling of end-of-vehicle-life parts. Asahi Kasei is aiming for practical application around 2030.
Driving performance Meanwhile, high performance recycled carbon fibre compounds from Wipag are already being used in the new BMW iX. The windshield of this fully electric vehicle features an upper structural component produced in a recycled carbon fibre reinforced PA6 using an injection moulded metal hybrid technology. The WIC PA6 15 BK IM com- pound is produced using carbon fibre scrap from BMW’s own carbon fibre composite production unit and is an impact modified grade offering good mechanical properties. In addition to meeting the mechanical requirements, the use of recycled carbon fibres also ensures a lower carbon foot- print. Production of 1kg of WIC PA6 releases around 6kg of CO2 eq. compared with around 9kg of CO2 eq. in the production of 1kg using virgin carbon fibre.
Right: SGL Carbon’s Sigrafil C T50-4.9/235 carbon fibre is aimed at hydrogen gas storage applications
Developments in virgin carbon fibre include Hyosung Advanced Materials’ recent introduc- tion of its H3065 (T-1000 class) high performance carbon fibre, which offers a minimum tensile strength of 6.4 GPa (14 times greater than steel) and elasticity of at least 295 GPa. The company says ultra-high-tensile strength carbon fibre is an indispensable material for development of aircraft parts, projectiles, and satellites. It was used in the recently launched Korean satellite Nuri. The Fuji Economic Research Institute of Japan says the global polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon-fibre market is expected to post an average 10% growth annually, from 85,790 tonnes in 2021 to around 327,430 tonnes by 2035. Key global carbon fibre market
66 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2023
C T50-4.9/235, a carbon fibre intended to meet the very specific requirements of pressure tank con- struction. “Carbon fibre-based solutions are a key driver for the transformation to sustainable mobility, for example for future hydrogen mobility with pressure tanks and fuel cells,” says Roland Nowicki, Head of Business Unit Carbon Fibers at SGL Carbon. “After successful development work, we can now present a 50k carbon fibre that achieves a whole new level of stretch and strength. In addition, it offers the customer clear advantages in processing.” As well as being put to use in pressure tanks for storing hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles, Sigrafil C T50-4.9/235 carbon fibre can also be used in other market segments that require high strength and fibre elongation, such as construction and infra- structure.
Newly qualified In April this year, Teijin qualified its carbon fibre and PEEK based Tenax ThermoPlastic Woven Fabric (TPWF) and Tenax ThermoPlastic Consoli- dated Laminate (TPCL) with NCAMP (National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance). According to the company, this is the first NCAMP qualification for either a carbon fabric reinforced thermoplastic composite material or a pre-consoli- dated laminate. The NCAMP qualification makes PEEK carbon fabric and consolidated laminate materials technol- ogy accessible to a much larger range of OEMs, Tier one, and Tier two suppliers as a range of international bodies, including The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Euro- pean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), accept composite specifi- cation and design values devel- oped using the NCAMP process. Thermoplastic composites are
an attractive proposition in the growing Urban Air Mobility market and traditional commercial aero- space sectors as they offer high build rates, improved crack resist- ance, melt processing, increased opportunities for recycling, and a shelf
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: WIPAG/BMW
IMAGE: SGL CARBON
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