JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 43

A different approach to natural fibre composites

Fig.4: A hybrid construction: the powerRibs grid on a
carbon fibre base

A wide range of applications due to
reduced weight and cost
In an example case with a given flexural
stiffness, the weight of a reference carbon
composite plate can be reduced by 27% at
30% lower cost when replacing part of the
carbon fibres with the powerRibs (Figure
6). When compared to a full glass fibre
composite plate, costs can still be reduced
by approximately 30% while cutting over
40% of weight for the same performance.
Combined to the outstanding
damping properties presented above, this
unique material is ideal for a wide range of
applications in the sports & leisure industry
(kayak hulls, bicycle frames, etc.), and
especially in the automotive industry with
the current strong drive for lightweight and
high-performance bio-sourced materials.
This innovation can both be used for
automotive interior semi-structural shell
elements (door panels, seat backs and front
panels), via thermoplastic processes, as well
as exterior body parts (roofs, fenders, etc.)
using thermoset processing techniques such
as vacuum infusion or a very cost-effective

prepreg version. In addition to an extensivecollaboration with ESA, Bcomp launched
collaborations with several Tier 1 suppliers
and OEMs in the automotive industry.
Partnership with Electric GT World
Series and race car driver Leilani
Münter
At this year's JEC World in Paris, Bcomp
announced two new partnerships, the first
one with famous female US car racer and
environmental activist Leilani Münter,
andthe second one with the revolutionary
Tesla based Electric GT World Series, with
the objective to foster sustainable mobility
for the future.
As part of the Electric GT World Series
partnership, the powerRibs technology,
providing a unique performance-to-weight
ratio, is used in various parts such as the roof
and the hood. Marrying the outstanding
properties of flax fibres with an innovative
preform design, Bcomp significantly contributed to cutting the required 500 kg from
the standard Tesla Model S P100DL, which
will be used for the Electric GT Series
(Figure 7). At the same time, material costs
and ecological footprint were significantly
reduced. The company is continuing its
work with the Electric GT Series to provide
other natural fibre composite solutions for
its vehicles and demonstrate the full potential of the powerRibs in action.
Bcomp proposes two high-performance
solutions harnessing the stiffening power of
powerRibs to the automotive sports industry.
The first one, used in the Electric GT Series,
features a full-flax construction with a skin-

Fig.6:
Material costs and
surface weight comparison, at equal
bending stiffness,
of various layups
with and without
powerRibs

Fig.5: Flexural
stiffness and loss
factor (giving
the damping
properties) for
layups of equal
weight showing
the benefits of the
powerRibs

N°114 July 2017

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Sports & Leisure

yarn has a good compression strength
perpendicular to its direction, keeping its
shape during composite processing and
leading to a 3D surface that characterises
the powerRibs technology.
m Ltd.'s engineers have been optimizing
the yarn twist angle and corresponding
yarn processing over several years in order
to find the right twist to achieve both high
in-axis modulus and low compressibility
of the yarns. Their findings were further
developed in the framework of several R&D
projects, and have been applied to various
customer projects within the mobility,
space and sports & leisure industries. One
example is the European Space Agency
(ESA), which is highly interested in the
unique combination of high stiffness
and damping properties offered by this
technology. Carbon-powerRibs composite
structures, such as the one displayed in
Figure 4, are of special interest for space and
motor sports applications.
A unique combination of high stiffness and
damping properties The main effect of the
powerRibs is that they increase the flexural
stiffness of thin-walled structures without

adding weight. Thus, cost and weight can be
reduced when making composite parts, and
damping properties can be increased by up
to 250% as compared to standard materials
such as carbon composites (Figure 5). For
any given composite part, a large share of
the synthetic fibres - such as glass or carbon
- can be replaced with this novel material,
increasing the part's bio-based material content. This effect adds up to the powerRibs
structure's lower weight, outperforming any
given material in terms of sustainability.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017
