Lightweight Materials and Life Cycle Energy Use

The energy crisis and how to deal with it have become serious concerns over the last several years. With this concern, has come the concept of life cycle energy use (LCEU) whi is based on the premise that the lowest energy consuming product in terms of manufacture and use is the preferred product. This paper clarifies the benefits of lightweight materials substitution on LCEU in light of conflicting data. Further, a discussion of factors influencing the magnitude of benefit is presented.