With their high specific strength and stiffness, composites have the potential to significantly lower the vehicle weight, which can have a dramatic effect on improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For the past decade or so, composites have been experiencing several transitions, including the transition from micro-scale reinforcement fillers to nano-scale reinforcement fillers, resulting in the nanocomposite. The effectiveness of the nano-sized fillers in composites can be explained by one of their unique geometric properties: the length-to-thickness aspect ratio. Therefore, nano-sized fillers have exceptionally higher reinforcing efficiency than the conventional, large fillers.
The effectiveness of the nano-sized fillers in composites is also due to their large surface area and surface energy.
This book consists of a collection of technical papers selected from the automotive composites and other relevant sessions that the editors have organized for the SAE World Congress over the past decade.
It begins with a section on the perspectives of nanocomposites in the automotive industry, with of three excellent papers given by experts from the industry and academia. Following, it brings to the reader in-depth information on the three major nanocomposites categories:
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Nano-fiber reinforced composites
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Nano-platelet reinforced composites
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Nano-particle reinforced composites
Preface
Introduction to Nanocomposites
Part I : Perspectives of Nanocomposites in the Automotive Industry
Chapter 1 : Nanomaterials – A New Dimension in Automotive Engineering (2006-01-0105)
Chapter 2 : Nanocomposites : Recent Development and Potential Automotive Applications (2008-01-1263)
Chapter 3 : Nanotechnology Applications in Future Automobiles (2010-01-1149)
Part II : Nano-Fiber Reinforced Composites
Chapter 4 : Polyamide 6 Reinforced With Carbon Nanotubes for Automotive Parts (2008-36-0132)
Chapter 5 : Mechanical Properties of MWCNT/Elastomer Nanocomposites and the Cellulation Model (2009-01-0606)
Chapter 6 : Development of a Transparent Nanocomposite for Automobile Polymer Glazing (2012-01-0749)
Part III : Nano-Platelet Reinforced Composites
Chapter 7 : Twenty-Year Review of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites at Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. (2007-01-1017)
Chapter 8 : Strategies for Intercalation and Exfoliation of PP/Clay Nanocomposites (2006-01-0132)
Chapter 9 : The Development of Nanoclay-Epoxy Composite for Application in Ballistic Protection (2009-01-0920)
Part VI : Nano-Particle Reinforced Composites
Chapter 10 : Ultrasonic Cavitation Based Casting of Aluminum Matrix Nanocomposites for Automobile Structures (2006-01-0290)
Chapter 11 : Development and Property Evaluation of Aluminum-Alloy Reinforced with Nano-ZrO2 Metal Matrix Composites (NMMCs) for Automotive Applications (2009-01-0218)
Chapter 12 : Synthesis and Characterization of Nickel and Ni-TiO2 Nanocomposite Coatings Processed by Pulse Electrodeposition Technique (2015-26-0060)
About the Editors
