Lightweight Structures B.V. | Lightweight composites | lightweight, structures, engineering, vacuum, infusion, composites, bridge, thermoplastic aerospace, maritime, building, construction, truck bodies, trailers, road furniture, automotive, wind, energy

Lightweight Structures B.V.
Rotterdamseweg 380
2629 HG DELFT
The Netherlands

Tel +31 15 278 20 99
Fax +31 15 278 72 99

aldert.verheus@lightweight-structures.com

Chamber of commerce nr 27280593

Lightweight composites

Weighty advantages of lightweight structures

Structures with a reduced weight, which otherwise retain their performance, augment the competitive advantage for both users and suppliers. "Lightweight" is therefore often the decisive argument in markets where operational costs and higher efficiency are the prime considerations. The market where lightweight engineering plays the most prominent role in the aircraft industry. In the past 100 years a number of leaps in material use are recognized, optimizing the ratio of structural strength and stiffness and weight (E/ρ and σ/ρ), in order to improve efficiency (increase payload and safety).


Wright Flyer (1903) wood / linnen	Fokker 8 (1927) wood / linnen / steel

DC-2 (1934) steel / aluminium	Boeing 7E7 (2007) 60% composites

Similar leaps in material technology are recognized or predicted in other markets where structural weight is influencing performance (speed, safety) or costs (fuel, maintenance, labour):

sailing and motor yachts
cars, trucks, trailers, motorhomes, caravans, bicycles
robots, weaving, printing, packaging, microsystems machines
utensils (scaffolding materials)
temporary buildings, tents
cardboard and thermoformed packaging
civil structures (bridges)
road furniture (safety barriers, lighting columns, utility poles)

The operational returns of lightweight structures often outweigh the extra costs of redesign or the higher costs of materials - certainly when the lifespan of the structure is included in the comparison.

For example, according to the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Western Europe, the automotive sector uses 1.7 million tonnes of plastics a year, requiring the equivalent 3.25 million tonnes of oil to make. However, it is estimated that 12 million tonnes of oil are saved each year through fuel efficiencies from lightweight plastic vehicle components - leading to a subsequent reduction in CO₂ emissions of 30 million tonnes a year. In addition, at the end of the plastic's life, the energy equivalent of up to 1.9 million tonnes of oil is available for recovery using an optimum combination of recovery techniques.
Taking the specific example of a bumper beam, energy balance calculations show that using lightweight plastics in stead of heavier, traditional materials results in approx. 4 times as much energy being saved over the lifetime of a car than is used in the manufacture of the plastics.