Toho Tenax Co Ltd has supported Japan’s Kogakuin University in developing a car made with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the World Solar Challenge, the world’s biggest solar car race, which will take place in Australia from 6 to 13 October.
The Teijin Group supplied ultra-lightweight fabric made with TENAX carbon fiber, which was used to design and fabricate the CFRP car body, while Japan-based GH Craft was involved from the concept design stage to develop the innovative solar car’s all-carbon composite body.
In 2010, Toho Tenax developed an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber fabric measuring just 0.06 mm in thickness. The CFRP produced with this material has made it possible to fabricate an ultra-lightweight car body with the stiffness and strength needed to withstand race conditions while reducing bodyweight to an absolute minimum.
This story is reprinted from material from Toho Tenax Co Ltd, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
