With the increase in UHSS (Ultra High Strength Steel)etc that we are faced with on vehicles today, and the associated problems, guess what, it gets even better, with the development of Carbon nanotubes.
Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 28,000,000:1, which is significantly larger than any other material. These cylindrical carbon molecules have novel properties that make them potentially useful in many applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics, and other fields of materials science, as well as potential uses in architectural fields. They exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient conductors of heat and electricity.
CNTs are currently being designed for auto body construction.
This chart shows a comparison of Tensile strengths of different steels.
Advanced Boron and Carbon Nanotubes are future materials that we will start seeing in the next few years.
STEEL MPa PSI
Structural Steel 400 MPa 58,000 psi
Titanium 900 MPa 130,500 psi
TWIP 1,200 MPa 174,000 psi
USIBOR 1,800 MPa 260,000 psi
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced Boron 3,100 MPa 450,000 psi
Carbon Nanotube 62,000 MPa 8,992,000 psi
|
Material |
Young's Modulus (TPa) |
Tensile strength (GPa) |
Elongation at break (%) |
|
SWNT |
~1 (from 1 to 5) |
13-53E |
16 |
|
Armchair SWNT |
0.94T |
126.2T |
23.1 |
|
Zigzag SWNT |
0.94T |
94.5T |
15.6-17.5 |
|
Chiral SWNT |
0.92 |
|
|
|
MWNT |
0.8-0.9E |
11-150E |
|
|
~0.2 |
~0.65-3 |
15-50 |
|
|
~0.15 |
~3.5 |
~2 |
|
|
KevlarT |
0.25 |
29.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The long-range goal is to build planes, automobiles and other things with buckypaper composites. The military also is looking at it for use in armour plating and stealth technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube
Toyota Solar Panal
Toyota plans to install solar panels on the roof of the next generation of Prius hybrid cars, according to a report in Monday's edition of the Nikkei newspaper.
The panels, which are expected to begin appearing on the high-end version of the gasoline-electric hybrid car as early as next spring, will supply part of the 2 to 5 kilowatts needed to power the air conditioning, MarketWatch cited the Japanese business daily as reporting. Kyocera will reportedly supply the panels.
The move would make Toyota the first major automaker to incorporate a solar-power generation system into a mass-produced car.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9984384-54.html
Details on how to work around the sunroof, will be posted soon