Use of light weight components will be the way to 54.5 mpg. The wheel configuration is reminiscent of the Dale that was two wheels in the front and one in the back which was supposed to reduce the weight enough to get 70 mpg. Overall, that vehicle was a hoax, but there were some parts of the design that could be used today to get to the 54.5 mark.
Although the specific strength of the car is still very good, on absolute terms it is not. For example if this car would have a collision with a regular road car then safety is quite a concern.
The materials used are very high tech and at the moment also very expensive, this is why carbon fibre is still mainly used in race cars and high performance road cars. And when carbon fibre is used at the moment, it is usually solid laminate. The problem with this is the same as the problem with high strength steel, thin sheets offer enough strength but are very easy to bend (low stiffness).
This is were sandwich construction comes in, the thin carbon fibre facings are placed outwards and low density foam is used to fill the gap. Because now the thickness is increased, the stiffness is also increased tremendously.
But this technique comes with a price, you basically have a low strength high stiffness structure and this means that impact resistance is not especially high. I am sure that safe structures can be designed light with these techniques, but versus heavy current cars safety is still less.
I understand the stiffness part of the lightweight materials. And I am willing to bet the overall structure is still considerably stronger than anything else on a lb for lb basis. The overall characteristics of these new materials are really impressive in every respect.
I can't wait to see some of these materials and designs formulated for production vehicles and then subjected to crash tests. Eventually the combination of lightweight, stiffness, impact resistance, deformability and strength will be engineered into vehicles capable of protecting the passengers during high impact crashes, probably assisted by air bag devices.
If the auto industry CAFE is going to reach 54.5 mpg in the next 15 years, it's going to have to draw from a variety of new technologies, including materials similar to these. I would think the high stiffness bodes well.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
