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Constant swirls of innovative ideas are starting to push composites and hybrid metal-composite components for use in an ever expanding circle of products. Recent discoveries of Graphene/Au composites have invigorated innovations for its application to aerospace and space products. Attributes such as a low CTE, stiffness, and light weight attract other manufacturers of smaller products to use composites for enhanced performance and durability. The uses and economics of composites is an enormously broad subject. Examples of composite materials will be described in this paper to provide samples of applications selected for their far reaching potential to enhance product performance. Examples will also be presented to explain the application of carbon based composites where the product performance or application would not be possible without special materials.

Fusing aluminum in a multi-material lightweight vehicle is presented via studies on joining dissimilar materials, joining methods, and the performance of the joined materials. The use of aluminum offers a material that embodies properties to meet new standards as the automotive industry continues to pursue improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions. Aluminum’s strength, light weight, and corrosion resistance offers manufacturers a material alternative to steel and an additional material, which has long been known in the industry, to be employed in automotive construction. Topics of technical interest include: • Forming • Galvanic Corrosion • Welding, Fastening, Bonding • Maximizing Weight Benefits Production of strong, lightweight structures will contribute significantly to automobile manufacturers meeting mandated fuel economy standards, as well as customer preferences for utility, comfort, and safety.