Carbon fiber, due to its unique and lightweight composition, is becoming common component of conventional car making. Ford and auto supplier Magna International have worked together in developing a new carbon fiber composite subframe that will soon be incorporated into the automaker's products.
Ford and Magna's effort have resulted into a new prototype subframe which essentially reduces mass by as much as 34 percent when compared to conventional steel subframe. This is seen by many as a groundbreaking feat in terms of engineering and may potentially open a new and more efficient way of manufacturing cars.
Ford and Magna team up on prototype carbon fiber subframe https://t.co/xb0HOHcYEK pic.twitter.com/D9EuvpKf5f
— MotorAuthority (@motorauthority) March 20, 2017
Ford and Magna took an entire subframe assembly and picked 45 steel parts which they replaced with the new carbon fiber composite. Using the prototype subframe, the two companies were able to replace all the 45 parts with just four metallic and two molded parts. The end result is a weight reduction of 87 percent in all the parts used.
A car's subframe holds together the wheels, suspension, and engine. It is also an important car component when it comes to mitigating crashes. According to Fox News, the new carbon fiber composite subframe Ford and Magna have passed all the necessary performance tests using a computer-generated engineering analysis.
The next step to this process is to carry out test to prove the material's susceptibility to corrosion and chipping. Once the material passes this phase, Ford and Magna will create design, manufacturing, and assembly processes in order to mass produce the prototype.
In a statement acquired by Car Scoops, Ford director of vehicle enterprise systems Mike Whitens said, "Magna and Ford working together on this carbon fiber composite subframe is a great example of collaboration on advanced materials."
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