Lightweight materials to save on energy

The reduction in the weight of vehicles and airplanes is an efficient and immediate way to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the transportation sector.

Compared to metal parts, the use of composite thermoplastic materials, made from new generation polymers or elastomers, generates substantial weight savings in the automobile and aeronautics industries.

The main challenge is to develop high-performance products in terms of:

• reliability and safety,
• resistance to shocks and temperature variations,
• flexibility and implementation. 

Polyamide resins such as Rilsan^® and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are increasingly replacing metal and glass in vehicles. They are lighter and as resistant and easy to transform:

• a plastic car part is up to 6 times lighter than a metal part,
• replacing glass with “acrylic glass” reduces the weight of glazing in a car by 50%.

The resulting weight savings directly benefit the fuel consumption of traditional vehicles and increase the autonomy of hybrid and electric vehicles.

The Arkema group is innovating in the field of polyamides and nanostructured materials

As the market leader of specialty polyamides and PMMA “acrylic glass”, the Arkema group is pursuing an intensive policy of innovation in these two areas to be able to provide industry with ever more efficient materials:

• Rilsan^® HT, the leading high-temperature biosourced polyamide can be used to replace metal or rubber in very technical applications. 
• Altuglas^® ShieldUp, a lightweight, nanostructured acrylic sheet which is transparent and resistant to shocks. Ideally suited for panorama sunroofs and the side windows of a vehicle. 
• Nanostructured materials, as carbon nanotubes and acrylic block copolymers, exhibit exceptional mechanical properties for applications in many industrial sectors.