Introduction​

As global industrial and transportation systems impose increasingly stringent requirements for energy conservation, emission reduction, and efficient operation, materials science has emerged as the core driver of industrial upgrading. Lightweight design is no longer merely a goal of reducing component weight, but a key means to achieve system-level efficiency improvement, cost optimization, and environmental sustainability. In automobiles, rail transit, aerospace, marine vessels, and new energy transportation equipment, traditional steel and aluminum alloys, while meeting structural strength and stiffness requirements, often result in increased weight, thereby restricting further improvements in energy efficiency and performance. Meanwhile, the application of composite materials also faces challenges such as difficult molding, long production cycles, and high recycling costs. The emergence of Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Carbon Fiber Composite Sheets (CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets) provides a brand-new solution for the structural optimization of transportation equipment, making lightweight design and system performance enhancement not a compromise but an achievable overall strategy.​

CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets use continuous carbon fibers as reinforcements and thermoplastic resins as the matrix, combined with advanced layup processes and hot press molding technology to achieve high specific strength, high specific modulus, and designable structural performance. They not only make individual components lighter and stronger but also bring unprecedented freedom to the structural design of entire systems through controllable fiber orientation, laminate combinations, and local reinforcement strategies. This material capability positions it as an important foundation for the upgrading of the future transportation equipment industrial system.​

Structural Design Innovation and Performance Advantages​

In traditional transportation equipment design, there is often an inherent conflict between weight and strength. While steel and aluminum alloys provide necessary stiffness and load-bearing capacity, they increase self-weight, limiting the space for optimizing overall system performance. Through the combination of continuous fiber reinforcement and thermoplastic resins, CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets realize the design concept of "replacing thickness with structure." This means designers can optimize force paths by changing fiber direction, laminate sequence, and local thickening or thinning, without relying on increased material thickness to improve strength.​

This design advantage is particularly evident in automotive applications. Taking new energy vehicle chassis as an example, traditional steel chassis are heavy, involve complex welding, require numerous assembly processes, and need additional protective measures against corrosion. Using CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets can reduce chassis weight by 30% to 60% while achieving modular and integrated design. The chassis, body frame, and battery pack protection structure can be completed in a single laminate, not only reducing weight but also minimizing the number of components, connection points, and welding processes, thereby improving overall structural consistency and reliability. Furthermore, by rationally arranging fiber direction and laminate structure, optimization can be achieved for collision energy absorption, torsional stiffness, and vibration response, enabling vehicles to maintain safety and comfort while achieving lightweight design.​

Rail transit systems also benefit from CFRT materials. In high-speed trains, light rail, and intercity rail vehicles, the body structure needs to reduce weight to improve operational efficiency while ensuring load-bearing capacity. Traditional aluminum honeycomb structures can reduce weight but are complex to manufacture, have long processing cycles, and are difficult to repair locally. In contrast, CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets, through 3D special-shaped molding and local reinforcement technology, allow one-time molding of the entire vehicle's structural components, reducing the complexity of assembling multiple parts and significantly improving fatigue resistance and structural consistency. The structural designability of this material enables designers to achieve more efficient vehicle body layouts based on train operating conditions and force requirements, further reducing energy consumption and extending service life.​

In the aerospace field, CFRT's advantages are even more prominent. Although traditional thermosetting composites have advantages in strength and stiffness, their difficulty in recycling, complex repair processes, and long manufacturing cycles limit large-scale applications. Thermoplastic carbon fiber composite sheets solve this problem with high toughness, thermoformability, secondary processing, and repairability, making components such as fuselages, empennages, cabin doors, and flaps not only lightweight but also more reliable and easier to maintain. In next-generation electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets have become the primary structural material, as they can meet design requirements for multi-axial loads, complex curved surface molding, and high cycle life, while facilitating rapid maintenance and recycling to reduce operational costs.​

Marine transportation equipment also demonstrates the unique value of CFRT materials. In ship structural components, high-speed boat hulls, and unmanned marine equipment, materials need to simultaneously withstand seawater corrosion, multi-axial impact, and long-term fatigue loads. The corrosion resistance, high fatigue life, and thermoplastic repairability of CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets enable hulls and decks to operate stably for a long time in complex marine environments, thereby extending equipment life and reducing maintenance costs. This high-performance composite structure not only enhances safety but also provides reliable support for efficient transportation and marine operations.​

Industrial Production and Automated Manufacturing​

Another major advantage of CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets lies in their adaptability to industrial production. The thermoplastic resin system can realize the production of large-size, complex-shaped components through heating, pressing, automated layup, multi-axial hot press molding, and other methods. This manufacturing method not only reduces manual intervention, shortens production cycles but also improves part dimensional accuracy and structural consistency. In the large-scale production of modern transportation equipment, CFRT materials can seamlessly integrate with robot path planning, numerical control equipment, and automated assembly systems, achieving high-efficiency and low-cost industrial production.​

At the same time, the recyclability of CFRT provides a sustainable development solution for the transportation equipment industry chain. Traditional thermosetting composites are difficult to recycle, and decommissioned parts usually require incineration or landfilling, causing environmental burdens. Thermoplastic carbon fiber sheets can be remelted and reshaped through heating to enter new production processes, realizing material recycling. This not only reduces material costs but also aligns with global carbon neutrality goals, promoting the transformation of the transportation equipment industry toward green manufacturing.​

System Optimization and Economic Benefits​

CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets not only improve the performance of individual components but also bring system-level optimization value. Lightweight design directly reduces energy consumption, achieving significant improvements in electric vehicle battery range, rail transit operational power consumption, and aerospace fuel consumption. Meanwhile, modular integrated design reduces the number of components, assembly processes, and maintenance complexity, further lowering operational costs.​

By optimizing fiber direction, laminate thickness, and local reinforcement, CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets can reduce material waste, extend structural life, and improve operational efficiency while ensuring strength and safety. This closed-loop optimization from material performance to system operational efficiency makes it not only a lightweight material but also a key factor driving the improvement of the full-life-cycle economy of transportation equipment.​

Conclusion​

CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets are gradually expanding from their inherent lightweight advantages to the full-industry-chain optimization of transportation equipment design, manufacturing, operation, and recycling. Through high specific strength, high specific modulus, thermoplastic molding, and recyclability, they achieve the coordinated development of structural innovation and system-level optimization. In automobiles, rail transit, aerospace, marine vessels, and new energy transportation equipment, CFRT not only reduces weight, improves strength and reliability but also promotes industrial model upgrading through industrialized manufacturing and circular utilization.​

In the future, CFRT Carbon Fiber Sheets will become the core choice of structural materials for transportation equipment. Their value lies not only in material performance but also in promoting the comprehensive innovation of transportation equipment design concepts, manufacturing processes, and life-cycle management models. Through the in-depth integration of technology and industry, CFRT is leading a new era of lightweight, system-optimized, and sustainable transportation equipment.