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Resistance is tensile Aluminium intensive vehicle production is growing fast, but many OEMs still choose the hang-on panel route. As the world’s population grows, the insatiable appetite for car ownership continues to increase. Global vehicle sales will exceed 100 million units per year by 2018 and more than 600 million vehicles will be sold between 2015 and 2020. The dominant areas for increased vehicle production are China, South Asia and Europe, and all regions are adopting similar legislation to reduce the environmental impact of the world’s vehicle fleet, although only the EU is leading the way to promote the use of recycled materials for vehicle construction. This has had a major effect in promoting the increased use of aluminium automotive sheet, extrusions and castings for vehicle light-weighting. From this positive legislative stimulation, aluminium automotive body sheet (ABS) has achieved significant penetration into vehicle structures and specifically into aluminium intensive vehicles like the 2015 Ford F-150 light truck, which went into full scale production in November 2014, and into luxury E-segment vehicles like the Range and . It is now poised for significant growth in D-segment vehicles with the introduction of the 2015 Jaguar XE. All the Ford and Jaguar/ (JLR) models are aluminium intensive vehicles built using the aluminium vehicle technology developed by Alcan in the 1980s with surprisingly little modification to the original manufacturing concept. The intensive use of aluminium sheet in these applications is now much more attractive compared to the use of steel sheet, because the benefits in terms of satisfying legislated fuel efficiency Prof. Geoff Scamans, Innoval Technology. targets compensate for the increased cost of the aluminium sheet. sheet alloy from segregated and returned the body of their flagship F-150 light truck Other OEMs have been much more wary press shop scrap without any reduction in out of ABS. about following JLR and Ford’s lead into performance. This version of the alloy is The worldwide boom in ABS production aluminium intensive vehicles, and hence are now being promoted by JLR as RC5754. The is a great benefit to the aluminium industry unable to benefit from the major light-weighting 2015 Jaguar XE is the first vehicle build to use whilst margins remain high. This will continue advantages of this approach. This caution is RC 5754 and all future JLR models will use to promote investment in new hot and cold particularly strong in countries where the steel this alloy. The concept has been extended by rolling mills and in continuous heat treatment industry continues to prosper, and is a major Novelis for the AA6451 alloy used for outer (CHT) and finishing lines, as well as in scrap contributor to GDP and employment, unlike panels. As JLR generates about 50% of sheet handling and automated scrap separation lines. in the UK and North America. In countries scrap during their pressing operations, they This boom in ABS will grow unabated for at with a strong steel industry the tendency is ensure that all this scrap is segregated by least the next ten years and, within this time for a more stepwise approach to the use of alloy type and directly returned to Novelis frame, carbon based composites present no aluminium in automotive structures. Use is for further automotive sheet manufacture. meaningful threat. usually confined to hang-on panels and similar The value of the press shop scrap is a high Sales of ABS could approach 5 million tonnes closure components, where the material of percentage of the LME aluminium price and by 2025 and then could grow significantly choice can flip back to steel if the local steel this means that the price paid by JLR for their if recycling separation techniques are producers scream loudly enough. This situation sheet from Novelis is effectively discounted developed and implemented to ensure that is familiar in the world of aluminium can sheet by the LME price for every second rolled coil. the wrought products in shredded end of life and explains its rather peculiar penetration This significantly reduces the cost of using vehicle scrap is closed loop recycled back pattern against steel can sheet from country aluminium sheet for vehicle construction. into automotive sheet. This would expand to country across the globe. This development has encouraged JLR to the potential use of aluminium automotive A significant breakthrough in the cost to use make all their vehicles, progressively with sheet to more affordable vehicle segments aluminium sheet for automotive structures new builds, aluminium sheet intensive both and would dramatically increase the required was initially realised through an Innovate UK in the UK and in other parts of the world as market tonnage. project entitled the Recycled Aluminium Car they increase their vehicle production targets www.innovaltec.com (REALCAR) project that was led by JLR. The towards a million vehicles per year. It was also Author: Prof. Geoff Scamans, Principal Scientist, project demonstrated that it was perfectly the value of press shop scrap that eventually Innoval Technology. possible to make the AA5754 structural convinced Ford to take the decision to make

Aluminium Times July/August 2015 Aluminium Times July/August 2015

Aluminium Times V17.3 June 2015.indd 5 25/06/2015 14:16