 | greenville business & community directory |
|
Clemson University chemical engineering professor Amode Ogale has received a UT-Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory grant through the U.S. Department of Energy to develop cost-competitive carbon fibers that are one-tenth the size of a human hair, but stronger than steel. Researchers plan to use the carbon fibers in automobile manufacturing to make cars lighter and, therefore, more fuel-efficient. The grant is for $227,000 over a three-year period.
"Carbon is an amazing material that possesses vastly different properties in different forms, ranging from soft inexpensive graphite to expensive diamond," said Ogale. "We're not talking about carbon that develops when something is burned in the kitchen oven. We're talking about special carbon forms created at very high temperatures, exceeding 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit."
According to Ogale, if the price is right, carbon fibers can be used in making parts of the exterior shell of automobiles, such as hoods and trunks. High-end cars, such as Mercedes, Corvettes and even racecars, already use carbon fibers in their construction, but Clemson researchers hope to make carbon fibers more affordable for mainstream vehicles. Ogale adds that lighter structures can double the fuel-efficiency, a critical issue facing the nation in times of escalating fuel prices. Carbon fibers embedded in a carbon matrix are already used in jetliner brake systems because, unlike steel, this composite will not melt in extreme temperatures caused by friction. Instead, it easily dissipates heat. Carbon fibers are not sensitive to moisture and will not rust. They also are excellent for conducting electricity, even better than copper, said Ogale. Clemson researchers have been working with colleagues from Virginia Tech and local companies in developing special grades of plastics that can be processed into carbon. In Clemson labs, these polymers are first converted into thin fibers that are zapped in an ultraviolet chamber at a very high intensity equivalent to about 1,000 times the radiation used in a tanning salon bed. The fibers are cross-linked and then heat-treated at ultra-high temperatures to produce lightweight and super-strong carbon products. (Images provided by Clemson University.)
|
