GRAPHENE
BAC is known for being industry front-runners for lightweight technology, analysing every single gram that goes into its supercars and exploring how any given area can be trimmed by implementing the latest innovations. The company is famed for being pioneers in its research and development work into the use of graphene.
Using revolutionary material graphene within carbon fibre enhances the structural properties of carbon to result in less sheets being needed to meet functional performance targets. With BAC Mono and Mono R panels, the addition of graphene ensured panels required two sheets of carbon fibre, rather than three.
Overall, a panel set that weighed 41kg before the use of graphene went on to measure just 32kg – a massive 9kg / 22% weight saving. It’s another way BAC’s obsession with lightweighting and its many benefits contributes to the ultimate performance of its supercars.
This world first came as a result of a successful APC-funded project alongside Haydale and Pentaxia through the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN), which is now in full series production for the Mono R and new BAC Mono at the Liverpool factory.
The possibilities for graphene are truly endless – and BAC will once again lead from the front in its convention-challenging implementation.
NIOBIUM
In 2020, BAC was awarded UK Government funding to undertake its latest nano element R&D project – exploring the use of ‘Niobium’ in the structure of BAC Mono.
A soft metal, Niobium is a naturally occurring, readily available, sustainable element that is ductile, malleable and highly resistant to corrosion. It effectively enhances the mechanical properties (elongation, yield and tensile strength) of alloy metals and has therefore been used in a wide range of applications in the aerospace, architecture and energy sectors.
The project was sponsored by CBMM, the world leader in the production and commercialisation of Niobium products, who were exploring the use of the element in the niche supercar sector for the first time through Mono.
By early 2021, BAC had successfully proved the concept of a novel vehicle chassis incorporating Niobium within high-strength steel tubes.
The result is a chassis that maintains the functional attributes of the baseline structure but saves weight by an incredible 18%. A phenomenal result on paper but even more impressive given the concept’s aim was a 15% weight-save. On top of this, the structure is also stronger and safer. By adding Niobium into the chemical composition of the chassis, BAC has been able to use less alloy metal to meet its structural targets – thus resulting in the impressive weight-saving figures.
The next steps of the project for BAC and CBMM will be to continue examining the phenomenal potential of Niobium in the automotive industry and identify an exploitable route to the wider market. BAC is known for acting as a technology demonstrator, and its latest pioneering project will pave the way for Niobium to be scaled up into higher-volume production across a number of different industries.
It starts with the ‘production readiness’ phase of the project, which will culminate in the chassis being cleared for series production on new generations of the BAC Mono supercar.