Motor Fan illustrated Fan Motor Special Feature / Automobile Technology The more technologies are revealed, the more interesting cars become. Aluminum Material for Automobiles The environment-friendly metal underpinning PHOTO & FIGURE : next-generation automobile development Hiroya YAMAGAMI/AUDI/BMW/DAIMLER/JAGUAR/MAZDA/TESLA MOTORS/TOYOTA/Motor Fan illustrated and UACJ The issue of how to reduce CO2 emissions through the improvement of fuel efciency has become the top priority in automobile development. One major solution is to reduce the weight of vehicle bodies…and that is precisely why aluminum is now garnering a great deal of attention. Its specic gravity is only 2.7, compared with 7.8 for steel. Aluminum, a tough high-specic strength material, has many other merits. It is highly corrosion-resistant, readily formable, and environment-friendly because it is easily recycled. What’s more, it’s a very attractive material for use in vehicles. Aluminum is increasingly being used for structural components, body panels, and a wide range of other parts, and signicant advances are being made in forming and joining techniques, as well as in the development of aluminum alloys. Aluminum… Without doubt, it will become an increasingly indispensable material in automobile development. The largest manufacturer of rolled aluminum products in Japan, Tokyo Sankei Bldg., Otemachi 1-7-2, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0004 Japan UACJ was established by the integration of Furukawa-Sky Telephone: +81-3-6202-2667, Telefax: +81-3-6202-2032 Aluminum Corp. and Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd. www.uacj.co.jp/english/ [email protected] Use of aluminum alloys in automobiles 1 Bulkhead B pillars Roof Trunk lid Aluminum alloy sheet Also called the firewall, this is a wall used to These support the roof and The roof panel features a structure that As with the bonnet, separate the passenger compartment from 6000 series aluminum alloys are door latches, and also absorb bears the stress of the forces acting on the use of aluminum the engine room and the trunk. used for body panels, bonnets, the impact of side collisions. each of the pillars. The roof area is alloys for trunk lids doors, roofs, etc. They are highly large, so changing from steel to alloy is also making good BODY CHASSIS formable and have low-yield & works as well as for the bonnet. progress. Aluminum alloy sheet strength in the forming process, Aluminum extruded shapes but feature high bake Automobile fuel efciency standards around the world are Aluminum cast products hardenability, meaning they becoming increasingly strict in response to global warming. become high-yield strength after In Europe, legislation is currently being prepared with the aim of the coat baking process. setting new-vehicle CO2 emission standards for 2020 at 95g/km. The key to achieving this is the use of materials that help reduce Aluminum extruded shapes the weight of vehicle bodies. There are commonly used for parts that require a uniform Thanks to improvements in the strength and workability of A pillars & roof pillars cross-sectional shape, strength, lightweight aluminum alloys, aluminum’s use in vehicle bodies is These connect with the roof and rigidity such as bumpers, now moving into high gear. side railings and support side members, side sills, etc. the upper body. They play 5000 and 6000 series aluminum an important role as a collision crumble zone. alloys are most commonly used, and 7000 series aluminum alloys Body side panels when more strength is required. Motor Fan illustrated Motor Fan illustrated These are structural parts that form the Aluminum cast products Front fender structural skin of the vehicle. These commonly include The front fender is not Audi A8 subjected to stress. This cylinder blocks, transmission cases, and wheels, but ALUMINUM The Audi A8 is the rst was one of the earliest ALUMINUM parts to be created from mass-market car with an moldings are also used in body aluminum alloy sheet. components. The use of aluminum chassis. aluminum alloy die casting is AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY The vehicle features a appropriate when creating parts unique Audi Space Frame with complicated structures that structure with the upper require a high level of strength. body connected onto an underbody frame base. Doors Front side members These are constructed from internal These are connected and external sections. The internal to the subframe. sections are often made from 5000 02 In addition to series aluminum alloys, while the 03 Bonnet (outer) load-bearing, they external sections are often made Crossmembers from 6000 series aluminum alloy The bonnet has a double-layered are designed to Side impact beams sheet. interior/exterior structure. This is absorb the impact of These extend across the largest exterior panel on the collisions. from the side sills in a These absorb the impact on the doors from side vehicle. Bonnet (inner) grid pattern. They support the passenger collisions. This part is used to reinforce the outer panel. compartment floor and With collision safety in mind, the panel bear torsional stress. structure is designed to crumple on impact. A pillars Rear side members Aluminum alloy space frame | Audi R8 All-aluminum alloy monocoque | Jaguar XE All-aluminum alloy monocoque | Range Rover Sport This car features a mid-ship layout with a The latest XE is an aluminum alloy monocoque Based on knowhow accumulated through the Front side members B pillars bathtub-shaped monocoque structure that is vehicle based on the common Jaguar/Land development of the Jaguar XJ, this is the first used to provide strength and rigidity to the Rover platform. SUV to feature an all-aluminum body design. Side sills Roof side railing body as a whole. This is a hybrid vehicle body featuring aluminum alloys and CFRP. Use of aluminum in electric vehicles Mercedes AMG GT and hybrid electric vehicles The AMG GT, the agship Aluminum wheels Compressor wheels for turbochargers Mercedes sports car, features Although both cast and forged These are precisely manufactured aluminum an all-aluminum body. The aluminum wheels are used, forged aluminum wheels are alloy impellers used to compress air. UACJ's engine and transmission are lighter and stronger. aluminum precision cast compressor wheels positioned separately, with the hold the world’s top share. transmission in a transaxle position connected to the engine via an aluminum torque tube. The Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0TDI quattro battery Lithium-ion batteries are now commonly used in note PCs, smartphones and other mobile devices, but capacity-enhancing technologies are rapidly increasing the popularity of their use in automobiles as well. Motor Fan illustrated Motor Fan illustrated Suspension arms ALUMINUM As critical safety components, these need to ALUMINUM be highly reliable. The use of high-strength forged aluminum parts is increasing. AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY The Nissan Leaf lithium-ion battery The battery cases and sealing components of Hub carriers lithium-ion batteries, which are the most These components connect important component in electric vehicles, are the suspension arms with made from aluminum alloys, and aluminum foil the brakes and wheels. is used in the current collectors. Cylinder blocks Cylinder blocks made of 04 aluminum are lighter than 05 cast-iron blocks of the same size. Al-Si-Mg type Brake calipers aluminum alloys, which are suitable for die-casting, are Lithium-ion batteries As these are exposed to high commonly used. temperatures, while also being repeatedly subjected to stress, they need high thermal stability and good abrasion resistance. Subframes A subframe is a structural component that is a separate structure within a larger monocoque. It carries certain components, such as the engine drivetrain or suspension. Subframes Use of aluminum alloys in automobiles 2 need to have high rigidity and shock-absorbing capabilities. Heat exchanger DRIVETRAIN & POWERTRAIN Almost all cylinder blocks are currently made from aluminum casting, and use of aluminum alloys in TESLA MODEL-S suspension components, which require higher strength, is also increasing. The Tesla Model S uses a bathtub-shape frame made with aluminum alloy extruded shapes, and is equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. The heat exchangers are also manufactured from an aluminum alloy. ALUMINUM MATERIAL Aluminum alloys used in automobiles : 1 Superplastic aluminum alloy sheet Superplastic material has elongation Aluminum alloy sheet of more than several hundred Before stretching percent at high temperatures. Using the blow-forming method After stretching Aluminum alloy sheet features superior formability and strength (using compressed gas to force heated material into a metal mold), superplastic aluminum alloy sheet Mercedes Benz S Class permits greater design flexibility. Blow forming The “ALNOVI” superplastic aluminum 6000 series aluminum alloy for body panels Mold Mold alloy sheet developed by UACJ Corporation is widely used in body Approximately Producing body panels from aluminum alloy is a highly Approximately panel production. Ford F-150 400°C to 500°C 400°C to 500°C effective way to reduce weight and enhance fuel efficiency. Compressed gas Currently, 6000 series aluminum alloys are the type most In the F-150’s latest facelift, the body panels were changed to commonly used in body panels, and since they have aluminum, reducing the weight “bake-hardenability,” they can be strengthened after the coat by 320 kilograms and improving baking process. fuel efficiency by 5% to 20% compared to the previous model. 6000 series aluminum alloys are characterized by low strength Aluminum alloy sheet for during press forming, giving them high formability, but the high-strength structural components Motor Fan illustrated coat baking process makes them substantially stronger. Change in proof stress Motor Fan illustrated When shipped After 2% pre-straining from during forming Proof stress Proof After 2% pre-straining to after coating 20 min. at170°C Aluminum alloy sheet designed for high-strength Bake-hardenability 6000 series sheets structural components is suitable for use in automobile are strengthened Formability more than 5000 framework structures.