Spider Silk Carbon Fiber Composite Panels for Structural Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current materials and products for load-bearing applications, such as vehicle panels and structures, face challenges in achieving a balance between structural strength and lightweight properties, often resulting in materials that are either too heavy or insufficiently strong to withstand various stresses.
Innovation Solution
The development of silk fibroin composite materials, comprising layers of spider silk fibers and carbon fibers within a phenolic resin matrix, combined with other polymers like polyurethane and thermosets, to create a lightweight yet robust composite panel suitable for load-bearing applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional heavy materials are used for load-bearing panels, then structural strength is improved, but vehicle weight increases reducing fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of spider silk fibers combined with conventional polymers like polyurethane and thermosets. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit both lightweight properties and enhanced mechanical strength, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural strength requirements for load-bearing vehicle panels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies material parameters by incorporating spider silk fibers which possess unique mechanical properties including high tensile strength and elasticity. These parameter changes enable the creation of panels with improved strength-to-weight ratio, simultaneously achieving reduced vehicle weight and maintained structural integrity
2Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used for load-bearing panels, then vehicle weight is reduced improving fuel efficiency, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By creating composite materials that combine lightweight spider silk fibers with structurally sound polymers, the patent achieves a synergistic effect where the overall material remains lightweight yet possesses enhanced strength characteristics, eliminating the need to sacrifice structural integrity for weight reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by strategically incorporating spider silk fibers into specific regions of the panel where strength is most needed, while maintaining lightweight composition overall. This localized reinforcement allows weight reduction in non-critical areas while preserving structural strength in load-bearing zones
Data Source
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AI summary
Load-bearing composite panels, materials, and products made by surrounding with a long fiber and/or fiber cloth reinforced polyurethane resin, an assembly containing one or more load- bearing members, graphene, a structural polyurethane/resin sandwich composite and/or spider silk protein fiber-cloth-continuous fibers. The composite structures can provide stronger, lighter- weight structural items such as vehicle floor and body panels, bullet-proof anti-ballistic panel products, vehicle bullet-proof anti-ballistic body panel structures and floors, bullet-proof vests, vehicle chassis, monocoque chassis, motor homes chassis-bodies, fuselage floors and frames for aircraft and/or UAV's, bicycle and motorcycle frames, wind turbine blades frames and structures, ship or boat haul body structures, shipment containers, pre-fabricated walls of buildings, train structure body or floor panels, solar panel supports, battery housings, mobile home walls, roof modules, truck beds, and truck trailer floors. Such composite panels, materials, and products can also be utilized in artificial organs, ligaments or tendons, artificial disc vertebrae, ropes, and 3D printing parts.