In early July, Japan-based Tras unveiled the new natural fibre body for the Toyota Hilux, which subsequently competed in the Asia Cross Country Rally in Thailand from August 8-16.

SGL Carbon supplied the flax prepregs for the car’s body, which were manufactured at its site in Willich, Germany.

SGL Carbon has been involved in developing prepregs and components made from natural fibres such as flax for several years, collaborating with Swiss fabric manufacturer Bcomp. At the SGL site in Willich, the Bcomp’s ampliTex flax fibre fabrics were pre-impregnated with a matrix material.

“A major challenge was the comparatively high moisture absorption of the flax fibres,” says Dr Thomas Meinhardt, team lead for technical marketing prepregs at SGL Carbon. “We therefore used a special transparent, fast-curing resin system that has proven particularly resistant to, and tolerant of, the high moisture content of the natural fibres. This ensures an attractive appearance for the components as well as good mechanical and thermal properties which are particularly important in motorsports.”

The finished prepregs were then processed into the final components by Tras, which specialises in manufacturing, testing and demonstrating car bodies made from natural fibres.

“The use of the special resin system was an important improvement for us, as we often face very high humidity in Asia, yet the components must still meet the rigorous demands of racing,” explains Tras CEO Masanao Nitta. “With this natural car body we now have a lightweight, sustainable component that looks great too.”

Components made from Bcomp’s flax fibre technologies offer up to 85% lower CO2 footprint from cradle to gate compared to pure carbon fibre parts, thanks to the use of renewable raw materials and the possibility of end-of-life thermal energy recovery.

Additionally, every gram of weight counts, especially in motorsports. Composites with flax fibres from Bcomp offer a sustainable lightweight solution. In combination with the powerRibs reinforcement grid, similar stiffness and weight to pure carbon fibre components can be achieved. Furthermore, the natural fibre components perform well in crash tests and provide very good vibration damping, making them useful for demanding motorsport applications.

www.sglcarbon.com