Automotive giant companies all over the world continue to launch their vehicles equipped with new technologies and new systems every day. It is of great importance that a vehicle can have all these features at the same time for companies competing with each other to make the fastest, most environmentally friendly and most durable vehicles.
Can a vehicle be light, strong and very fast at the same time? In fact, carbon fiber is used in vehicles today to achieve this. Carbon fiber has a structure that many people like as an image; and with its light and robust structure, it enables vehicles to go faster without weighing on them. However, this material is not used very often by automotive manufacturers due to its price. For this reason, it has been suggested that there may be another interesting material that can be used in vehicles.
Carbon fiber made from petroleum?
Graduate student Asmita Jana, research scientist Nicola Ferralis, professor Jeffrey Grossman, five people from the Western Research Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennesse. It was explained that the waste materials left over from the production of carbon fiber can be used in the production of carbon fiber. The results of the research, which started with the request of the Ministry of Energy for a project that reduces fuel consumption and makes cars more efficient, were shared after 4 years.
Researchers have discovered that the material left over from refining petroleum can also be used in vehicles. This gives automotive companies a much more affordable option instead of using a carbon fiber-like material. The researchers also say that the weight and flexibility of this material is suitable for load-bearing. This material, which is thought to replace the steel panels used today, promises cheaper and lighter vehicles. The waste collected with the help of a roller system can be obtained at a much more affordable price than carbon fiber. Researchers say the cost of a pickup truck made of carbon fiber instead of steel panels has nearly doubled. This material obtained is almost the same as steel panels in terms of cost.
Can vehicles produced with this material suddenly catch fire?
As soon as we hear that the material is made of petroleum, many of us think, “What if the vehicle catches fire?” came the question. Researchers say the material used is a fuel that is too dirty to catch fire. For this reason, they state that it will not be possible for you to see your vehicle on fire all of a sudden. Although the material looks scary from this point of view, it goes through dozens of processes by researchers and is made suitable for vehicles.
The team succeeded in minimizing the cost of the product by using residues from oil, a material called ‘oil pitch’ instead of refined or processed oil. The researchers’ current goal is to test the effect of this material on the performance of vehicles. With the support of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers, who are experts in carbon fiber production, they continue to work meticulously on this issue.
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