DYNEXA – CFRP Driveshaft for Automotive Proving Ground

Unlike automotive driveshafts, automotive output shafts cannot leverage shaft length as a factor when making the case for composites. Instead, other beneficial features have made a composite output shaft able to compete with metal shafts, especially in electric vehicles. In many four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles, steel driveshafts are segmented to provide necessary torque and vibrational performance characteristics. Unlike these segmented steel counterparts, a one-piece carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) automotive driveshaft is able to provide the required performance as it spans the full distance from transmission to differential, typically between 1,000 millimeters (passenger cars) and 3,000 millimeters (commercial vehicles). A single CFRP driveshaft can therefore replace not only the steel driveshaft, but also the flanges and intermediate bearings that join the two segments. As a unified component, the CFRP driveshaft enhances performance, contributes less weight and has proven to be cost-competitive in high-performance vehicles. For identifying growth opportunities in the global automotive composites carbon fiber market, please visit http://www.lucintel.com/carbon_fiber_in_automotive_composites_2016.aspx