When you consider how many industries benefit from composite materials today, it becomes a challenge to associate them with any single use. That said, you would be hard pressed to come up with an industry that stands to gain more from composite materials than the transportation sector – which is currently fighting to recover from the pandemic and other setbacks globally.
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Why Composite Materials?
Suppose you want a better understanding of how composite materials work to improve the transportation industry. In that case, the place to look is the qualities they possess that no other building materials can provide.
Heat Resistance
Due to the miraculous power of today’s transportation systems, certain parts of the fastest and largest vehicles can face extreme heat. Better heat resistance means that engineers can create vehicles that can perform with more outstanding capabilities than ever before.
Lighter Parts
One of the advantages that come in the engineering of carbon fibre composites is that they are incredibly light compared to more traditional durable materials like steel. It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the lighter a vehicle can be made, the more fuel-efficient it will be. Lightweight composite materials like carbon fibre also help vehicles travel at faster speeds than ever before.
Fewer Parts
Many composited materials are created through mouldingsince they are composed of a matrix material in combination with a reinforcement material. This process yields composite products that can be shaped according to a particular need, such as covering a large surface. Due to the size and adaptability of composite materials, it often requires fewer composite parts to replace many different parts made from other building materials like steel.
Less Maintenance
One of the features composite materials are prized for is their high durability. Because it takes more to wear down composite materials, vehicles made from composite materials require maintenance less often than those made from alternative materials.
Resistant to Corrosion
Similar to their heat-resistant properties, composite materials are often resistant to corrosion as well. This means composite parts are less likely to wear down due to exposure to corrosive elements than other building materials. It is also another reason why they require maintenance less often.
In the aftermath of a global pandemicand ongoing logistics issues, the transportation industry needs a boost more than ever. Today, more people are travelling around the world than ever before. Likewise, more products are being shipped globally than ever before.
Going Beyond Replacement Parts
Given the superior qualities exhibited in composite materials, it is easy to improve existing vehicles by replacing parts made from traditional materials with counterparts made from composite materials. However, the creation and implementation of effective replacement parts is not the extent of the benefit that composite materials can provide to the transportation industry.
Better vehicle innovation in all sectors of the transportation industry, supported by the use of new composite materials, can provide an enormous leap in transportation. If you’re currently developing a new vehicle designed for transportation, be sure to contact a composite material manufacturer to find out how composite materials can help.
