Technical Papers

• Composites Make Sense for Hybrids (PDF 973 Kb size)
  Automotive Composites Alliance
  With hybrid vehicle sales forecast to exceed one million annually by 2012, the Automotive Composites Alliance conducted a benchmarking study of a prototype hybrid sedan to measure how composites can play a major role in hybrid development programs. Seven applications were targeted including hoods, fenders, deck lids, battery modules, floor pans, trunk compartments and front and rear bumper beam supports. The results generally show that composites can provide significant savings in mass and tooling investment, as well as advantages in parts consolidation, corrosion resistance, opportunities for model differentiation and improvements in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
• Preform Binder Technology (PDF 852 Kb size)
  Technical Paper presented to the ACMA
  This paper provides an overview of the critical properties and processing characteristics of directed fiber preforms as they relate to the different types of binder systems that can be used to produce the preforms. General presentation of the effects of the different binder systems in preforms will be made. A new integral string binder roving product will be introduced with some comparative data. Includes detail photographs and charts.