Composites Markets

Composites Markets

There are many reasons for the growth in composite applications, but the primary impetus is that the products fabricated by composites are stronger and lighter. Today, it is difficult to find any industry that does not utilize the benefits of composite materials. The largest user of composite materials today is the transportation industry, having consumed 1.3 billion pounds of composites in 2000. Composite materials have become the materials of choice for several industries.

In the past three to four decades, there have been substantial changes in technology and its requirement. This changing environment created many new needs and opportunities, which are only possible with the advances in new materials and their associated manufacturing technology.
In the past decade, several advanced manufacturing technology and material systems have been developed to meet the requirements of the various market segments. Several industries have capitalized on the benefits of composite materials. The vast expansion of composite usage can be attributed to the decrease in the cost of fibers, as well as the development of automation techniques and high-volume production methods. For example, the price of carbon fiber decreased from $150.00/lb in 1970 to about $8.00/lb in 2000. This decrease in cost was due to the development of low-cost production methods and increased industrial use.
Broadly speaking, the composites market can be divided into the following industry categories: aerospace, automotive, construction, marine, corrosionresistant equipment, consumer products, appliance/business equipment, and others.

The Aerospace Industry

The aerospace industry was among the first to realize the benefits of composite materials. Airplanes, rockets, and missiles all fly higher, faster, and farther with the help of composites. Glass, carbon, and Kevlar fiber composites have been routinely designed and manufactured for aerospace parts. The aerospace industry primarily uses carbon fiber composites because of their high-performance characteristics. The hand lay-up technique is a common manufacturing method for the fabrication of aerospace parts; RTM and filament winding are also being used.
In 1999, the aerospace industry consumed 23 million pounds of composites, as shown in Figure 1.6. Military aircrafts, such as the F-11, F-14, F-15, and F-16, use composite materials to lower the weight of the structure. The composite components used in the above-mentioned fighter planes are horizontal and vertical stabilizers, wing skins, fin boxes, flaps, and various other structural components as shown in Table 1.3. Typical mass reductions achieved for the above components are in the range of 20 to 35%. The mass saving in fighter planes increases the payload capacity as well as the missile range.

The major reasons for the use of composite materials in spacecraft applications include weight savings as well as dimensional stability. In low Earthorbit (LEO), where temperature variation is from -100 to +100°C, it is imporant to maintain dimensional stability in support structures as well as in reflecting members. Carbon epoxy composite laminates can be designed to give a zero coefficient of thermal expansion. Typical space structures are tubular truss structures, facesheets for the payload baydoor, antenna reflectors, etc. In space shuttle composite materials provide weight savings of 2688 lb per vehicle.


The Automotive Industry

Composite materials have been considered the “material of choice” in some applications of the automotive industry by delivering high-quality surface finish, styling details, and processing options. Manufacturers are able to meet automotive requirements of cost, appearance, and performance utilizing composites. Today, composite body panels have a successful track record in all categories — from exotic sports cars to passenger cars to small, medium, and heavy truck applications. In 2000, the automotive industry used 318 million pounds of composites.
Because the automotive market is very cost-sensitive, carbon fiber composites are not yet accepted due to their higher material costs. Automotive composites utilize glass fibers as main reinforcements.

The Sporting Goods Industry

Sports and recreation equipment suppliers are becoming major users of composite materials. The growth in structural composite usage has been greatest in high-performance sporting goods and racing boats. Anyone who has visited a sporting goods store can see products such as golf shafts, tennis rackets, snow skis, fishing rods, etc. made of composite materials. These products are light in weight and provide higher performance, which helps the user in easy handling and increased comfort.
Total 1999 U.S. sports equipment shipment cost (including golf, hockey, basketball, baseball, tennis, etc.) was estimated to be $17.33 billion, as reported by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (North Palm Beach, Florida). The market for recreational transport (bicycles, motorcycles, pleasure boats, RVs, snowmobiles, and water scooters) was estimated at $17.37 billion, up from 1998 sales of $15.39 billion. The total shipment for golf was $2.66 billion for 1999, including balls, clubs, and others, with a third of that amount attributed to golf clubs. The ice skates and hockey are estimated to $225 million, snowboards to $183 million, and snow skiing to about $303 million wholesale values in 1999. There are no statistics available that describe the amount of composites usage in the above sporting segments. In North Amer-
ica, 6 million hockey sticks are manufactured every year, with composites capturing 1 to 3% of this market (shafts retail for $60 to $150).4 The Kite Trade Association, San Francisco, estimated a total sale of $215 million in 1990 worldwide in kites, which are generally made by roll wrapping composite tubes or pultruded tubes. Composite bicycle frames and components repre-
sent half a million of these parts, or 600,000 lb of material worldwide in top of the line bicycles, which sell in the range of $3000 to $5000 per unit.

Marine Applications

Composite materials are used in a variety of marine applications such as passenger ferries, power boats, buoys, etc. because of their corrosion resistance and light weight, which gets translated into fuel efficiency, higher cruising speed, and portability. The majority of components are made of glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) with foam and honeycomb as core materials. About 70% of all recreational boats are made of composite materials according to a 361-page market report on the marine industry.5 According to this report total annual domestic boat shipments in the United States was $8.85 billion and total composite shipments in the boating industry worldwide is estimated as 620 million lbs in 2000.

Composites are also used in offshore pipelines for oil and gas extractions. The motivation for the use of GRP materials for such applications includes reduced handling and installation costs as well as better corrosion resistance and mechanical performance. Another benefit comes from the use of adhesive bonding, which minimizes the need for a hot work permit if welding is employed.

Consumer Goods

Composite materials are used for a wide variety of consumer good applications, such as sewing machines, doors, bathtubs, tables, chairs, computers, printers, etc. The majority of these components are short fiber composites made by molding technology such as compression molding, injection molding, RTM, and SRIM.


Construction and Civil Structures

The construction and civil structure industries are the second major users of composite materials. Construction engineering experts and engineers agree that the U.S. infrastructure is in bad shape, particularly the highway bridges. Some 42% of this nation’s bridges need repair and are considered obsolete, according to Federal Highway Administration officials. The federal government has budgeted approximately $78 billion over the next 20 years for major infrastructure rehabilitation. The driving force for the use of glass- and carbon-reinforced plastics for bridge applications is reduced installation, handling, repair, and life-cycle costs as well as improved corrosion and durability. It also saves a significant amount of time for repair and installation and thus minimizes the blockage of traffic.

Composite usage in earthquake and seismic retrofit activities is also booming. The columns wrapped by glass/epoxy, carbon/epoxy, and aramid/epoxy show good potential for these applications.

Industrial Applications

The use of composite materials in various industrial applications is growing. Composites are being used in making industrial rollers and shafts for the printing industry and industrial driveshafts for cooling-tower applications.

Filament winding shows good potential for the above applications. Injectionmolded, short fiber composites are used in bushings, pump and roller bearings, and pistons. Composites are also used for making robot arms and provide improved stiffness, damping, and response time.