One part of the work of composite engineers is to find cost effective uses for new fibre composites. One such use identified for carbon fibre is in the automotive propeller shaft. This is the fore and aft shaft transmitting the engine torque of a car or truck to the driven axle to propel the vehicle. This paper will relate the requirements for drive shafts to the properties of carbon fibres. Both technical and marketing requirements will be considered. The carbon fibre properties are related to performance when incorporated in a resin matrix. Reference will be made to work on ‘alloying’ carbon fibre with glass fibre. This is shown to enhance the overall cost effectiveness of the resulting parts. A final section will illustrate the important aspect of producing test data that build up the automotive designer’s confidence in the application of an unfamiliar material.
