http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001568374 Japan Technology / Carbon-fiber tech makes sci-fi real The Yomiuri Shimbun October 07, 2014
[image / The Yomiuri Shimbun https://the-japan-news-archives.s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/preview/entries/88409/materials/227869/2d7c563d5bb44279006526155c4600a8.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI7EPFDYX6SSPYKKQ&Expires=1412760903&Signature=0jYotTYwrYKAdyYNMqlnLMomAC0%3D A carbon-fiber car body frame made by Teijin Ltd. is lifted by two women in Matsuyama. ] The government regards technological innovation as a pillar of Japan’s economic growth strategy, believing that technological development will give an advantage to the nation and Japanese companies. This is the final installment in a three-part series examining Japan’s aim to regain its status as a manufacturing power. A pair of women can easily lift one of the lightweight car frames on display at an office of major textile maker Teijin Ltd. in Matsuyama. One frame weighs only 47 kilograms. If the same frame were made of steel, the weight would be 250 to 300 kilograms. When a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter took an electric vehicle made with such a frame for a test drive, its accelerating conditions were not distinguishable from those of conventional EVs — but its braking power was surprising. With the brake applied at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, the wheels turn over only a little, and the car body instantly stops. “The braking is so strong that drivers may get whiplash,” says Yasunari Hotani, 55, chief of the company’s Composites Innovation Center. The experimental EV comprises a brake, suspension devices and other parts that are usually used in mini-cars. As the body is light, the EV is more underslung than ordinary cars. Driving it has the feel of a racing car, as the car body hugs the road even while turning on a sharp curve. Carbon fibers, made from petroleum or other materials, measure a few microns in diameter. (One micron is one-1,000th of one millimeter.) A single carbon fiber is no more than a string, the diameter of which is about one-tenth that of a human hair. But bundling and solidifying them with resins or other adhesives gives the fibers strength more than 10 times that of steel. Furthermore, objects constructed of carbon fibers are several times lighter than equivalent steel objects. Studies on carbon fibers began in the 1960s, and their breadth of use now extends to military and civilian aircraft. Japanese makers, including Toray Industries Inc. and Teijin, hold a combined share of about 60 percent of the global market for carbon fibers. After the United States and European countries toughened regulations on car fuel efficiency, the development of carbon fibers for making vehicle bodies lighter was accelerated. Carbon fiber materials for aircraft had the disadvantage of taking a long time to shape and then solidify with resins. But special processing methods have enabled them to be shaped with a press if they are heated, and mass-production has become easier as a result. In June, the government began full-fledged efforts to assist the research and development of nanocellulose, a fiber material, for practical use. Nanocellulose fibers are extracted from wood fibers that are softened with chemicals. Nanocellulose is a little weaker than carbon fiber, but the material can be processed into a transparent state. With nanocellulose fibers, it is possible to make super-thin film that can bend without breaking. Kyoto University Prof. Hiroyuki Yano, 55, says: “For Japan, which has many forests, [nanocellulose fiber] could be a promising material. The United States and China are also enthusiastic toward developing the material. The next two to three years from now are the critical stage.” Nippon Paper Industries Co. aims to begin commercial use of nanocellulose fiber in fiscal 2016. “We sent manufacturing samples to more than 100 companies, and reactions are satisfactory,” says Masayuki Kawasaki, 53, chief of the section in charge of the project ... [© The Yomiuri Shimbun] ... http://gizmodo.com/5994113/7-incredible-uses-for-nanocellulose Bendable batteries, lighter cars, 8x strength2weight of stainless steel ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanocellulose Nanocellulose For EVLN posts use: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble+template%2FNamlServlet.jtp%3Fmacro%3Dsearch_page%26node%3D413529%26query%3Devln%26sort%3Ddate http://gas2.org/2014/10/06/tesla-pre-owned-program-means-lower-prices-higher-profits/ Tesla Pre-Owned Program Means Lower Prices, Higher Profits ... http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094785_used-tesla-electric-cars-certified-previously-owned-cpo-program-coming-company-confirms Used Tesla EVs: Certified Previously Owned (CPO) Program Coming http://www.thestar.com.my/Tech/Tech-News/2014/10/07/Woz-on-Woz/ Woz uses app to honk his Tesla EV horn pranking his wife + EVLN: Twitter Had Fun With Elon Musk's little d {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Nanocellulose-vs-carbon-fiber-for-EVs-tp4672114.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
