Weight Reduction

Today, the benefits of components and products designed and produced in composite materials - instead of metals, such as aluminum and steel – are well recognized by many industries. Some of the advantages include outstanding strength, excellent durability, high heat resistance and significant weight reduction. Composite weight reduction will be reviewed and discussed here.

In today's world of high gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel costs, many aircraft, vehicle, heavy equipment, material handling equipment and other industrial manufacturers are looking to engineer and produce the most fuel-efficient aircraft and industrial equipment possible. In recent years, these manufacturers have turned to the use of lightweight composites in their designs, while not compromising the required strength, stiffness and durability requirements of the designed components. Simply put, the significant weight reduction that is realized by using composite materials translates into considerable cost savings in terms of fuel – every time a commercial aircraft flies, or material handling equipment is used in an industrial environment.

In commercial aircraft design, carbon fiber composites, hybrid composites, and composite reinforced plastics are being used in more and more sections of the aircraft, including:

• Seating and Interior Finishes
• Engine Nacelles
• Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizers
• Rudders
• Ailerons
• Floor Beams
• Elevators
• Front and Main Landing Gear Doors
• Wing to Fuselage Fairings

Composite Resources has played an important role in commercial aircraft design, developing and producing round tube and special shape composite triangular tubing for the commercial airline seat frame market. For additional information about our work in special shape commercial airline seat triangular tubing, click here.

Carbon fiber composites and hybrid composites are roughly one-half the weight of aluminum and one-quarter the weight of steel. As noted above, a lightweight composite component makes it more desirable to manufacturers, as well as consumers and workers. The days are long gone when it was considered that the heavier the product, the better the quality. Lightweight composites also have the added benefit of being aesthetically pleasing, with their distinct 3-D weave pattern.

Besides aircraft components, composite materials are used in other applications requiring lightweight materials, such as:

• Sporting Goods – Tennis Rackets, Fishing Rods, Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Archery Bows, Snow Skis, Golf Club Shafts, Golf Club Heads
• Industrial Components – Machinery Rollers
• Power Generation – Wind Turbine Blades
• Computers – Laptop and Notebook PC Components

The above list is just a partial sampling of the virtually limitless uses for composites where weight reduction is an important design factor. The experts at Composite Resources have the knowledge, experience and in-house resources to design, prototype and manufacture your lightweight composite component or project. In addition, we can assist you with the selection of the best composite material that best meets or exceeds your specific set of requirements

Physical Properties of
Typical Composite Materials

For engineering purposes, we have compiled the following table of properties for materials. These are ball-park numbers that could help in your selection of materials. The composite properties refer to the resin/reinforcement composite and not the reinforcement by itself.

English Units

Material	Tensile Strength (Ksi)	Compression Strength (Ksi)	Elastic (E) Modulus (Msi)	(D) Density (lbs/in³)
Carbon Fiber Epoxy	120	50	18.5	0.054
Kevlar® Epoxy	200	40	12	0.050
E-Glass Epoxy	100	50	5.5	0.069
6061-T6 Aluminum	45	35	10	0.098
Titanium	115	63	15	0.162
Steel	95	75	30	0.284