碳纖維增強型復合材料輪轂成功問世

在2014美國JEC復合材料及新材料展上，奧地利Mubea Carbo Tech公司(以下簡稱Mubea)帶來了其最新研究成果——碳纖維復合材料輪轂。Mubea方面表示，公司擬將于今年7月在其總部Salzburg工廠對這一新材料輪轂進行大規模批量化生產。



該新型輪轂采用碳纖維復合材料及鋁制金屬生產而成。車輪外邊緣統一采用碳纖維增強型塑料，其中心部位則采用鋁制材料。據悉，待正式投產運營后，Mubea該種輪轂產能為20,000個/年。



“早在四年前，我們的研發團隊就已開始著手新材料輪轂生產項目。經反復測試和修改，我們的輪胎最終符合所有歐洲及國際標準和規定。” Mubea CEO Karl Wagner在JEC復合材料科技研討會上發表演講時說道。
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Karl Wagner, Mubea Carbo Tech GmbH CEO, speaks at JEC Americas in Atlanta about his company's composite wheel.Image By: Bill Bregar

Wagner透露，德國某知名品牌汽車將成為這一新型材料輪轂的首個應用者。兩年前，Mubea原計劃打造全碳纖維增強型塑料輪胎，不添加任何金屬成分。然而，因遭遇技術瓶頸，研發人員不得不放棄這種極具挑戰的生產方法。

Mubea碳纖維輪轂在JEC復合材料展上一經亮相便受到了業內人士的一致好評。他們認為，采用該種材料生產的汽車輪轂不但能減輕車重，還能減小慣性(即汽車剎車時能在最短的距離內進行停車)。此外，與傳統汽車輪胎相比，這一新型材料輪胎質量較其輕30%。


ATLANTA — A factory in Austria soon will begin producing automotive wheels from a hybrid of carbon fiber composites and aluminum, European composites entrepreneur Karl Wagner said at the JEC Americas trade show. copyright 123456

When the Salzburg wheel factory begins operating in July, Mubea Carbo Tech GmbH will be able to build 20,000 of the wheels a year. The wheels have a carbon-fiber reinforced outer rim, the tire fits onto. The more-visible portion, known as the center star, is aluminum.

“We started with the development of this wheel about four years ago,” Wagner said in a technical session on automotive composites held May 14 at JEC Americas in Atlanta. Mubea Carbo Tech and European car makers have tested the wheels, and they meet automotive standards, he said.

Wagner said German automakers will begin using the wheels on some 2016 models. The hybrid wheels are made by a fully automated resin transfer molding process.

About two years ago, the company also began developing all-carbon-fiber-reinforced wheels, with no aluminum, Wagner said. One key technical challenge is the connection holes where the wheel bolts onto the vehicle’s hub.

Using composites for car wheels cuts weight. It also reduces the rotation mass of the wheel, so it has quicker acceleration and, when braking, a shorter stopping distance, Wagner said. A fully composite wheel is 30 percent lighter than an all-aluminum one, he added. 123,123

Wagner founded Carbo Tech Composites GmbH in 1993. In 2011, he sold a majority of the business to automotive supplier Mubea Group. On May 5 — a week before the JEC conference — Mubea announced it was buying Wagner’s remaining shares and would take 100 percent ownership of Carbo Tech.

Wagner said he is no longer the CEO, but he will remain at Mubea Carbo Tech.

Carbo Tech Composites gained a reputation in motor sports, such as Formula One cars. Since it started, the company has made about 5,000, one-piece monocoque chassis of carbon fiber composite, he said. The firm also makes other car body parts, as well as industrial components.

Now, wheels account about 65 percent of total sales, Wagner said.