Polymer composite materials in automotive industry Coursework

Polymer composite materials in automotive industry - Coursework Example One of the advantages of carbon fibre composite materials that makes them dominant for use in the automotive industry is because they are light weight. The carbon fibre composite materials have an unsurpassed strength-to-weight ratio and low weight that is essential for the automotive industry. For instance, the manufactures of race cars use carbon fibre composite materials hence they have developed ways of giving this carbon fibre pieces strength in a particular direction i.e. ensuring it is strong in direction bearing the load while weak in directions where little or no load is concentrated in the car. The current trend of materials in car industry of replacing metal parts more and more by polymer composites is aimed at improving the fuel economy the weight of the vehicles. (David, 2007) There has been increased use of carbon fibre composite materials in the automotive industry because of their cost. The cost of a new material is always compared to that presently employed in a prod uct, hence making it one of the most important variables that determines whether any new material has an opportunity to be selected for a vehicle component. When we talk of the cost of composite materials, it refers to actual cost of raw materials, manufacturing value added, and the cost to design and test the product. In terms of cost, the carbon fibre composite materials are relatively cheaper as compared to other materials such as cast irons, steel, cast aluminum and magnesium hence their continued use in the automotive industry.