FRP has been used in the automotive industry for 30-40 years, not only because of its excellent properties, but also because of its many advantages. Because FRP is an anisotropic and heterogeneous material, its performance of absorbing impact energy is good. When the car crashes, it can avoid or reduce the damage to the human body. At the same time, the anti-vibration and decay performance of FRP is better than that of metal, and its elasticity Better, it can be used as a spring for automobiles: With the good design freedom of FRP, various body parts or structures of different shapes can be designed. Compared with steel, FRP can reduce the mass of the car body by 60%.
Due to the high specific strength of FRP, it can be designed as a load-bearing component, such as body frame, floor, door frame, window frame, etc. As long as the components and proportions of the base material and the reinforcing material are used reasonably and the appropriate layering method is selected, the requirements of various models can be met, and the integrated molding of multiple components can be realized, so that the vehicle has a multi-functional and integrated effect.
A good structure and a reasonable production process are the prerequisites to ensure the excellent performance and lower cost of FRP automobile shells and components. FRP for automobiles in the United States accounts for about 30% of the total output of FRP, and the European automobile industry is the main market for FRP, of which the consumption of cars and light commercial vehicles accounts for about 75%, and the rest is used for trucks and buses. However, in recent years, the proportion of glass-free steel (GFRP) has declined, while the proportion of thermoplastic glass-reinforced plastic (CFRTP) has shown a rapid upward trend.
