CSIRO’s Light Metals Flagship recently showcased technologies which offer high-performance, lightweight car components at three US automotive industry conferences.
“Our technologies use magnesium and aluminium alloys to create strong, lightweight car parts which are cost competitive with structural components made of steel, and perform equally well,” said Barrie Finnin, until recently general manager for Alloy Technologies with CSIRO Materials Science & Engineering.
“We aim to get the best performance out of lighter metals with efficient manufacturing techniques and minimum wastage of materials.”
Lightweight vehicle design — replacing existing automotive structural parts with light metal alternatives — is one of several complementary approaches to achieving lower fuel consumption. Lighter cars use less fuel because they need less energy to start and stop than heavier cars.
Internationally, the automotive industry sees use of light metals and light alloys for car and truck components as a key means of creating more fuel-efficient cars, through specific initiatives including the US FreedomCAR project and the NADIA European project.
Finnin was invited to speak about technologies for cost reduction of light alloy components at the second Annual Advanced Lightweight Materials for Automotive conference. The CSIRO technologies were also presented at CastExpo 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia and displayed at the Team Australia Automotive stand at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit.
“Promotion of these technologies globally is essential to ensure their uptake within Australia,” Finnin said.
“The large manufacturers specify the parts produced by local component makers for both export and domestic sales, so we need to promote them internationally.”
Evaluation of the technologies by major manufacturers is also critical to their uptake.
“Both our heat treatment and ATM technologies have been evaluated or trialled by major car component manufacturers, with positive results,” said Sam Tartaglia, business development manager, who was part of the Team Australia Automotive exhibit.
Both technologies enable production of high-pressure die-cast (HPDC) aluminium alloy parts which have increased strength, using reduced amounts of material.
“HPDC is an established technology already used in manufacturing vehicle components, so improvements are relatively easy for manufacturers to implement,” Tartaglia said.
High volumes of structural and engine parts made by HPDC are used in the car industry, which makes them an attractive means of making lighter cars.
