In the not-too-distant future an automotive repairer’s toolbox could conceivably contain a sewing kit and a hair dryer to complete the tasks at hand.
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A new highly fuel-efficient and ultra-sturdy body system currently under development – and already seeing action on the race track – can be easily sculpted back into showroom shape with a hand-held heat gun, according to its inventor.
The needle-pulling-thread aspect stems from an innovative energy-generating fabric attracting media attention, along with presumptive OEM interest, as a possible in-cabin element that would assist in powering a vehicle’s onboard electronics.
Under the direction of Dr. David Carroll, a physicist who heads the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at North Carolina’s Wake Forest University, scientists in the laboratory are hard at work perfecting the properties of “Power Felt” for practical and economically sound commercial applications.
Potential uses for Power Felt include lining floorboards, upholstery and other surfaces to boost battery power while serving auxiliary equipment needs, plus it could have an even bigger impact if the “promising new thermoelectric device” was directed toward accelerated powertrain advancements for the electric vehicle marketplace, according to Carroll.
Comprised of tiny carbon nanotubes locked in flexible plastic fibers and made to feel like fabric, Power Felt uses temperature differences – room temperature versus body temperature, for instance – to generate an electrical charge.
When just a small swath is touched by a person, the individual’s body heat creates a current. The effect would be magnified inside a car, especially if it is exposed to sunlight or similar temperature variations.
“We waste a lot of energy in the form of heat. For example, recapturing a car’s energy waste could help improve fuel mileage and power the radio, air conditioning or navigation system,” says Wake Forest researcher Corey Hewitt.
“Generally thermoelectrics are an underdeveloped technology for harvesting energy, yet there is so much opportunity,” he explains, noting that several methods for adding more nanotube layers and making them thinner while further increasing the power output are under evaluation.
Hewitt and Carroll each emphasize that a crucial goal of the project is making the fabric’s production costs affordable for mass manufacturing acceptance; initial applications for the svelte felt are on a smaller scale.
“Imagine it in an emergency kit, wrapped around a flashlight, powering a weather radio, charging a prepaid cell phone,” says Carroll. “Literally, just by sitting on your phone, Power Felt could provide relief during power outages or accidents.”
“I imagine being able to make a jacket with a completely thermoelectric inside liner that gathers warmth from body heat, while the exterior remains cold from the outside temperature,” says Hewitt, contemplating a much larger and more promising future ahead for the technology: “It’s pretty cool to think about, and it’s definitely within reach.”
Leading-edge body material
A new technology for constructing auto bodies that weigh less than half of the current industry offerings – yet are tough enough to stop a speeding bullet – is making experimental progress on the racing circuit and raising prospects that the process can eventually be applied to production vehicles rolling off the assembly line.
Developed by Dr. Don Panoz, who established Elan Motorsport Technologies (EMT) in 1997 following his invention of the nicotine stop-smoking patch, the new body substance is known as REAMS, which stands for the “Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System.”
It is a combination of a thermoplastic composite called “Tegris” from Milliken & Co. and other films and materials applied by EMT to engineer its lineup of professional racing cars.
“REAMS really has a lot of great properties,” says Panoz. “Bound together, you end up with a very strong bulletproof material, and it is easier to manufacture and much lighter than carbon fiber,” he explains.
“With a heavy enough impact, carbon fiber will shatter,” reports Panoz. “With other materials you end up with a heavy dent or crease, but with REAMS you can apply some heat from a heat gun or even a hair dryer and you can repair it. It takes less energy to produce, so there is less impact to the environment as well,” he continues, adding that it is also recyclable.
“It needs to be baked in an autoclave like carbon fiber, but the amount of energy required to complete the finished product is considerably less. The lay-up on the materials is very similar to making bodywork out of carbon fiber,” Panoz points out, “but the energy used and the amount of time it takes applying heat and pressure in the autoclave is much smaller,” he adds.
“Making a mold to use for a part made out of REAMS, compared to carbon fiber, is much simpler,” says Panoz. “The material doesn’t need the same levels of heat and pressure when placed in the autoclave, so the original build of the mold is much faster and considerably cheaper.”
The automotive aspects became apparent during research related to how the core Tegris elements could be applied on the battlefield.
“We have been involved in developing the product for a lot of government and military projects to help stop projectiles. Our people at EMT saw that adding other layers of material would not only mask the weave of carbon fiber, which can show through under paint, but we found that this really enabled us to stop a projectile and could make the product much lighter,” recounts Panoz, who is also credited with resurrecting high-intensity sports car racing in the U.S. by creating the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
“We generally promote a number of 75 percent (as a weight reduction figure) – but in some of the tests we’ve done for bodywork, rather than military applications, we can produce a fender that is 50 per cent lighter and you can jump up and down on it and not damage it.”
The body of Panoz’s 2011 Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” sports car is constructed of REAMS.
“We are truly excited about the Panoz Abruzzi – not only about the design and performance of the car – but by the whole concept it represents,” he says.
“The styling is inspired from a classic era when racers would literally drive their own cars to Le Mans to compete and then drive back home, says Panoz. “However, the technology of the Panoz Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ is absolutely leading edge. This advanced body construction material and process has never before been utilized in a road car and offers unprecedented environmental, performance and structural advantages.”
Plans are in place to eventually apply REAMS to a subsequent second version of the new Batmobile-like Nissan-powered DeltaWing racer set to run in the June 16-17 French 24 Hours of Le Mans competition. The car is also slated for the ALMS circuit – which carries a strong commitment to developing environmentally sensitive technologies.
“When you look at what we try to achieve in the ALMS with alternative fuels and other methods to maintain performance using less energy, certainly this car does that even if it is using a conventional gasoline engine,” says Panoz. “You only need half the horsepower and subsequently half the fuel, so in that sense it is certainly far more energy efficient. When you add the components, which are less expensive – bodywork, smaller, more cost-effective engines – it really is a great mix for ‘green’ racing.”
“We are thrilled to be working with the DeltaWing team on one of the most revolutionary concepts in motorsports in many years,” says Jonathan Kane, Milliken’s global marketing manager.
The company’s Tegris (and presumably its EMT REAMS refinements) “provides a unique combination of attributes which will allow DeltaWing to meet the exceptionally stringent safety standards of IndyCar racing,” he reports. “Additionally, Tegris is fully compatible with polypropylene recycle streams, which helps DeltaWing meet its goal of helping motorsports become more sustainable and environmentally responsible.”
