Teijin teams with Kogakuin University for World Solar Challenge

Published On: August 5, 2013

The Teijin Group has announced that two of its business divisions are supporting Japan’s Kogakuin University in developing a car made with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the World Solar Challenge, the world’s biggest solar car race, which will take place in Australia from October 6–13.

Toho Tenax Co., Ltd., the core company of the Teijin’s carbon fibers and composites business, supplied ultra-lightweight fabric made with Tenax carbon fiber, which was used to design and fabricate the CFRP car body. GH Craft has been involved from the concept design stage to develop the innovative solar car’s all-carbon composite body.

Toho Tenax, together with Sakai Ovex Co., Ltd., developed an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber fabric measuring just 0.06 mm in thickness. The CFRP produced with this material has made it possible to fabricate an ultra-lightweight car body with the stiffness and strength needed to withstand race conditions while reducing bodyweight to an absolute minimum.

GH Craft, founded in 1972, is engaged in all stages of composite structure fabrication, including design, molding and structural evaluation. It is a leader in developing CFRP composite structures for the automotive, rail and aerospace industries.

In addition to thermoset CFRP developed by Toho Tenax and GH Craft, the Teijin Group is also researching and developing thermoplastic CFRP at its Teijin Composites Innovation Center. These efforts are part of Teijin Group’s strategic focus to develop and produce advanced CFRP solutions and become a global leader of the carbon fiber and composites industry.

Source: Teijin