Benefits of Composite Materials ( II )

In terms of application, composite materials are mainly used in aerospace, automobile and other industries in the United States and Europe. In 2000, the amount of composite materials used for automotive parts in the United States reached 148 thousand tons, and the consumption of European automobile composite materials was estimated to be up to 105 thousand tons in 2003. While in Japan, composite materials are mainly used for housing construction, such as bathroom equipment, etc., the amount of such products in 2000 reached 75 thousand tons, and the consumption of cars and other fields was only 24 thousand tons.

But from a global perspective, the automotive industry is the largest user of composite materials, and the potential for development is still huge. Many new technologies are being developed. For example, in order to reduce the noise of the engine, increase the comfort of the car, the factory is focusing on the development of vibration damping steel plate two layer of cold rolled sheet of thermoplastic resin adhesion; in order to meet the requirements of high speed, supercharging and high load direction, the piston, connecting rod and axle bush of the engine have begun to apply metal matrix composites; in order to meet the lightweight requirements of the automobile, more and more new composite materials will be applied to the automobile manufacturing industry.

At the same time, with the increasing attention to environmental protection in recent years, the application of polymer composite materials to replace wood has also been further promoted. For example, composite materials made from plant fiber and waste plastics have been widely used as pallets and packaging boxes in North America to replace wooden products, and degradable composites have also become the focus of development research at home and abroad.

In addition, nanotechnology has gradually aroused people’s attention, and the research and development of nanocomposites has become a new hot spot. Nano modified plastics can change the aggregate state and crystalline morphology of plastics, resulting in new properties. It overcomes the contradiction between rigidity and toughness of traditional materials, and greatly improves the comprehensive properties of materials.