AmpliTex could replace carbon-fibre
The world is moving towards a more carbon-neutral direction and this lightweight material, ampliTex, could be the answer for high-performance cars. Developed by two companies, motorsports design company YCOM and a natural fibre composite company Bcomp. In collaboration, they have put together a carbon-fibre replacer that has had promising results in their most recent crash test.
A brief look at carbon-fibre and why we are looking for a replacer.
There’s no question about it, ever since the 1970s, carbon-fibre has been a game-changer in the motorsports industry and is the perfect base material for supercars. Strong and light, the material is actually fairly eco-friendly too. Carbon-fibre’s only downfall is recycling as the material does produce fair amounts of waste during production.
This waste mostly comes from trimming the material down to shape. It is recyclable which is why carbon-fibre is still eco-friendly, but it can only be done by companies that specialize in recycling composites. This is were ampliTex steps in as a material that doesn’t need this very specific recycling process.
AmpliTex is an even more eco-friendly lightweight option.
AmpliTex is made from flaxseed which is not just recyclable, but edible too. While this is new for motorsports, flax is used in other textile industries and has been done so for years. The plant is also very adaptable and can be grown worldwide. Now YCOM and Bcomp step into the picture.
In combination with Bcomp’s powerRib technology, the fibres can be transformed into a smooth and strong lightweight material with improved vibration dampening. As mentioned before, it is also more recyclable.
Porsche has already started to use ampliTex for their own motorsports.
Recently, the material was put to the test, a crash test, and the results look very good. On impact, ampliTex resembles carbon-fibre, but it doesn’t splinter in the same way. Unlike carbon-fibre, this material doesn’t leave sharp pieces in its splinters.
Watch the test for yourself:
Unfortunately, for the results that we see in the video, one equal to the material it aims to replace, it needs to be made 40% heavier than carbon-fibre. If the results can be improved upon, only time will tell, but for now, it still functions as a strong alternative to carbon-fibre.
Source: Bcomp | Jalopnik | YCOM
