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Personal and Public Transport
Quick questions on Composite materials in vehicles: HSC Engineering Studies Personal and Public Transport
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is what a composite is?Show answer
A composite combines a reinforcement (fibres, particles) embedded in a matrix (polymer, metal or ceramic) so that the combined material has properties neither phase has alone. For vehicles, the dominant family is fibre reinforced polymer (FRP):
What is layup and curing?Show answer
Composite parts are made by laying woven or unidirectional fabric into a mould, wetting with resin, and curing.
What is properties compared?Show answer
CFRP wins on specific strength by an order of magnitude. The trade-off is cost and manufacturability.
What is where composites lose?Show answer
Holden, Ford and Toyota Australia experimented with GFRP body panels in low-volume models (the Brock VL Group A had CFRP front panels), but mass-market vehicles have stayed with stamped steel and aluminium for cost and reparability.
What is forgetting cost?Show answer
CFRP wins on specific strength but loses on dollars per kilo. Mass-market cars use steel and aluminium because of cost and stamping production speed.
What is treating all composites as equal?Show answer
GFRP, CFRP and aramid all have different properties. Pick the right one for the application.
What is missing the energy-absorption advantage?Show answer
Crash structures use composites because they absorb energy progressively. This is different from saying "they are strong". :::
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