Stewart Mitchell Contributing Writer

Stewart Mitchell is a Bristol, U.K.-based engineering journalist with experience covering technology in Formula 1, electric and hybrid powertrain and autonomous systems. He has a degree in motorsport engineering from Oxford Brookes University
(Oxford, U.K.), and is a member of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London, U.K.).

Focus on Design

Thermoplastic composite pipes provide 59% reduction in H2 distribution CO2 emissions

Hive Composites’ multilayer thermoplastic composite pipe (TPC) design meets hydrogen permeation requirements while ensuring substantial CO2 reductions compared to conventional steel pipe systems.

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ASCEND program completion: Transforming the U.K.'s high-rate composites manufacturing capability

GKN Aerospace, McLaren Automotive and U.K. partners chart the final chapter of the 4-year, £39.6 million ASCEND program, which accomplished significant progress in high-rate production, Industry 4.0 and sustainable composites manufacturing.

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Automotive

Composite bipolar plates provide 81% improvement to hydrogen fuel cell power density

Hycco’s development of ultra-thin CFRTP bipolar plates achieve 7.5 kilowatt/kilogram power density while maintaining high durability for heavy-mobility fuel cell applications.

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Automotive

Pultruded CFRP chassis enables 36% payload increase for specialized commercial vehicles

CarbonTT’s quadraxial NCF composite chassis adds 185-kilogram capacity to Borco Höhns’ 3.5-ton Fiat Ducato market vehicle.

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Fabrics/Preforms

Carbon fiber/flax landing gear achieves 54% weight reduction via tailored layup optimization

Fuko’s Biogear showcases how strategic composite material distribution and natural fiber damping properties can lightweight and enhance critical aerospace structure performance.

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RTM

All-recycled, needle-punched nonwoven CFRP slashes carbon footprint of Formula 2 seat

Dallara and Tenowo collaborate to produce a race-ready Formula 2 seat using recycled carbon fiber, reducing CO2 emissions by 97.5% compared to virgin materials.

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Work In Progress

Bladder-assisted compression molding derivative produces complex, autoclave-quality automotive parts

HP Composites’ AirPower technology enables high-rate CFRP roof production with 50% energy savings for the Maserati MC20.

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Modeling and characterization of crushable composite structures

How the predictive tool “CZone” is applied to simulate the axial crushing response of composites, providing valuable insights into their use for motorsport applications.

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Work In Progress

Ultra-thin woven fabric enables 90% resource reduction in satellite solar array manufacturing

Kerberos Engineering uses TeXtreme 0/90 woven fabrics for satellite solar array manufacturing, cutting weight and onboard resources, enhancing structural integrity and streamlining production.

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Work In Progress

Laser-excited acoustics provide contact-free, nondestructive composites inspection

Xarion’s couplant-free NDT technology uses laser physics and a membrane-free optical microphone, eliminating the requirement for fluid coupling, widening the scope for NDT technology.

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Automotive

SMC composites progress BinC solar electric vehicles

In an interview with one of Aptera’s co-founders, CW sheds light on the inspiration behind the crowd-funded solar electric vehicle, its body in carbon (BinC) and how composite materials are playing a role in its design.  

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Carbon Fibers

Aviation-specific battery system uses advanced composites to address electric, hybrid flight

BOLDair’s composite enclosure, compression structures and thermal runaway management enables high-performance electric energy storage.

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