Textile-Reinforced Composites for the Automotive Industry

Abstract

In the last decades, automotive industry has especially focused on developing and applying new materials and technologies for enhancing the comfort and security levels in the vehicles, but on the other hand for reducing the weight of the means of transportation in order to decrease the energy consumption. In this concept, textile-reinforced composite structures come in possession of one of the most favored materials in the automotive industry by satisfying these demands. In this chapter, usage of textile-reinforced composites in the automotive industry has been elucidated under three main sections: textile reinforced composites for 1) automobiles, 2) mass transportation vehicles, and 3) trucks. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the subject in detail by giving technical information about particular vehicle parts and composite structures utilized in the automotive industry and academia.