Life Cycle Assessment, characterization and comparison of the composite moulds for the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale’s side wing

Rising global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the past year have contributed to extreme weather events and record-breaking temperatures that have impacted the lives of billions of people worldwide. This underlines the urgent need to undertake more sustainable actions to mitigate the harmful effects of human activity on the environment. The discussion begins on illustrate how Ferrari, at the corporate level, aligns with the guidelines outlined in the Paris Agreement through its sustainability strategy and corporate-level carbon emissions calculation. A brief overview of the company is also provided, including a historical background and a description of the activity done during the internship period. Next, the focus of the thesis project was the study of two moulds, in particular on its manufacturing processes, used for the realization of the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale side wing. Specifically, was assessed the environmental impact related to the manufacturing of the moulds. The moulds are one consisting of virgin carbon fibre with a thermosetting matrix and the other one made of recycled non-woven fabric. The Life Cycle Assessment analysis (LCA) has been conducted for the two different moulds and it was chosen as indicator to compare the processes, the Global Warming Potential (GWP). Afterward, some preliminary materials characterization studies were carried out to investigate the thermal and mechanical behaviour of the composite materials. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis was used to evaluate the curing of the thermoset resin and tensile tests were employed to determine Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break of the composite materials.