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APT ALUMINIUM NEWS 4 | 12-2009 AUTOMOTIVE 13
Audi flagship A8L W12 quattro
of a rollover. The Roadster
also has high-strength tubes
in the windshield frame and
two rollbars on board.
Magnesium an
extremely lightweight
material
Magnesium is a particularly
lightweight metallic
structural material, even one
third lighter than aluminium.
The material offers good
strength and rigidity relative
to its weight, enabling even
further weight reductions.
Audi began using a magnesium
5-speed transmission
casing in a volume production
model back in 1996 for
the A4.
Today the carmaker uses
magnesium materials in a
number of areas, such as the
variable intake manifold of the
S5 and S6, the steering wheel
skeletons for all models, parts
of the steering column and in
the dashboard of the A8. The
6-speed transmission casings
for the A3 and TT family are
also manufactured from this
material in large numbers.
In the R8 high-performance
sports car, Audi even
uses the extremely lightweight
material within the aluminium
space frame structure.
The engine frame is made of
pressure diecast magnesium
and provides added rigidity
in the upper section of the
rear end. Aluminium bolts
connect it to the Audi Space
Frame. For some years now,
Audi has used aluminium
screws in certain areas to join
the engine and the transmission,
which saves 0.6 kg.
Thanks to advanced alloys
that can withstand higher
loads than conventional ones,
Audi will soon begin using
magnesium for parts of the
engine itself, such as the top
section of the oil pan, the sealing
flange in the V6 gasoline
engines, or for the cover of the
camshaft case. The next generation
A8 will also be getting
a new magnesium component
– a transmission cross member
that also serves to stiffen
the centre tunnel.
Components of CFP
When it comes to automotive
lightweight solutions, carbon
fibre-reinforced plastics
(CFP) rival metallic materials
increasingly. Their strengths
have long been on display in
motor sports. They attain outstanding
tensile strength values
ranging from 500 to 1,350
Newtons per mm 2 depending
on the exact type; they are
extremely light and very good
at absorbing energy. Audi’s
involvement in motor sports
has enabled it to develop
wide-ranging expertise in the
use of carbon fibre-reinforced
plastics. Today the Audi R15
TDI sports prototype, the R8
LMS and the A4 DTM car are
largely constructed of CFP
components. Whereas the
R15 TDI and the A4 DTM
have a CFP body, the R8 LMS
combines its ASF body with
selected CFP components.
As far as production models
go, Audi offers the side-
blade, the front spoiler, the
rear diffuser, the engine compartment
lining and a number
of interior parts made of CFP
as options for the R8. In the
upcoming R8 Spyder, rear
side panels and a top compartment
cover made of the
high-tech material will be
standard equipment.
Carbon fibres are only one
way to reinforce plastics. Glass
or aramid fibres can also be
used. Embedding them in
a matrix of polyamide produces
a solid structural part
called an organic sheet. Audi
will use such components
reinforced with aluminium
inserts in the fourth generation
A8. Weighing only 5.4 kg,
they are 2.3 kg lighter than a
comparable steel solution.
Kilo for kilo – lightweight
design as an
integrated project
At Audi, lightweight
design is an integrated
approach that includes all
aspects of the vehicle. By
its very nature, the body
harbours particularly large
amounts of potential, but the
drivetrain, the chassis, the
electrical system and the passenger
compartment can all
make a significant contribution
to weight reduction, frequently
on the kilogram scale
and very often in the hundreds
of grams. And every
gram counts.
With many models, Audi
makes all of the chassis components
or at least the majority
of them out of aluminium.
The carmaker also makes this
great effort with the compact
A3, in which the subframe,
the control arms and the
pivot bearing of the front sus-
pension together weigh only
14.4 kg. They would be 5.9 kg
heavier if made of steel.
The aluminium brake
cover plates weigh only 149
Foto: © helix – Fotolia.com
grams each, or less than half
as much as parts made of
steel. The large carbon fibreceramic
brake discs that Audi
offers in its top models are
each 10.5 kg lighter than their
steel counterparts, and are
also clearly superior to them
in terms of performance and
durability. Possible weight
savings in the kilogram range
can also be had in the wheels.
Using a new hybrid technology
in which the outer rim
and the centre are manufactured
separately and then
welded together, the weight of
even large wheels can be kept
below 10 kg. A corresponding
cast wheel today weighs more
than 12 kg.
Running gear featuring
lightweight design, particularly
for the unsprung masses,
is of great interest for two
reasons: first, each gram of
weight saved helps to reduce
CO 2 emissions, and second,
it improves driving dynamics
and ride comfort – both
are hallmarks of Audi. One
particularly appealing idea is
to replace the cast iron brake
discs commonly used today
with a cast iron/light alloy
composite.
Audi has already implemented
this concept in its
top-of-the-line sports cars,
the R8, RS 6 and the TTRS.
In these models, the friction
rings are made of cast iron and
the brake caps of aluminium.
Drilled studs connect the two
components. As an additional
benefit, the studs prevent the
transfer of peak temperatures
to the brake cap.
Because it is costly and
complex to manufacture, this
solution is not currently suitable
for large-volume production.
Audi has therefore
developed a new technology:
a pin connector integrated
into the cast iron friction
ring. The special shape of the
pins allows them to dissipate
the heat and ensures that rain
water and saltwater flows
away quickly. The friction
ring is placed in the mould
when the aluminium brake
cap is gravity diecast so that
aluminium is cast around the
pins.
This innovation offers
Audi major advantages with
respect to weight reduction,
saving around 30% or up to
5.5 kg per component. The
new solution is currently in
the prototype stage.
www.audi.de
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Stud Welding
• Manual Units
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• Automated CNC Machines
• Welding Elements
New weight-saving alloys from Aleris
for use in modern aircraft constructio
New aluminium alloys
allow weight and fuel
saving components to
be manufactured for
use in modern aircraft.
Aleris Europe recently
presented an alloy
variant that offers high
strength, damage-tolerant
properties and low
weight thanks to the
addition of scandium.
In addition, the company
has developed a new
conventional 7000series
alloy for aircraft
plate with significantly
improved properties.
Aircraft construction
today is characterised by the
quest for innovative materials
and production technologies
that make weight-saving
and thus cost-reducing
structures possible. For the
Airbus A350XWB and Boeing
787 (Dreamliner) widebodied
aircraft the development
engineers are increasingly
turning to composites
and carbon-fibre reinforced
plastics (CFRP) for the fuselage
and wings, but given the
repeated delays to the maiden
flight and delivery of the new
Airbus exhibit of an AlMgSc
alloy, shown at the Paris Air
Show 2009
aircraft, the initial euphoria
has evaporated. The very high
manufacturing costs associated
with these materials and
the disproportionately small
weight savings they bring
mean designers are again
focussing their attention on
metallic materials, and of
course here on the lightweight
metal aluminium.
This was clearly apparent
at the CFK-Valley Stade Convention
held in June this year.
At this international forum for
experts from the field of CFRP
lightweight construction, sev-
Innovative technologies and procedures ensure the A350 XWB’s
eco-efficiency from takeoff to landing
eral high-ranking managers
from Airbus warned the representatives
of the CFRP sector
that Airbus would revert
to aircraft constructions with
a metal fuselage if the sector
did not manage to achieve
more economical production
and processing of composites.
In any case it is not as if
the aluminium industry has
stood around with its hands
in its pockets doing nothing
in recent years. Not only is
it possible today to produce
structural components using
very thin and thus weightreducing
aluminium sheet,
the sector has also pressed
ahead with the development
of new, even lighter aluminium
alloys. This is true, for
example, for the new aluminium–scandium
alloy that
Aleris Europe has developed
jointly with Airbus, which
is both a metallic alternative
to composites and a possible
substitute for aluminium–
lithium alloys.
New scandium alloy
is AA registered
To be precise, it is an
AlMgSc alloy that is characterised
by very low density,
comparable with that of the
AlLi alloys. Furthermore, the
AlMgSc alloy is very corrosion
resistant and exhibits
excellent damage-tolerant
properties with respect to
crack propagation. This is
significant particularly for
the upper fuselage area which
is subjected to especially
large tensile stresses with the
consequence that cracks can
propagate here more quickly.
In addition, the alloy has
very good welding properties.
This is particular interesting
for Airbus because
laser-welded 6000-series
alloys are already being used
for the lower fuselage area of
the A318, A340 and A380.
Laser welding allows very
high welding speeds and in
addition production costs are
reduced compared with components
that were traditionally
riveted.
The manufacturing process
for the 6000-series alloy
panels is quite complicated.
The rolled components
and the extruded stiffeners
(stringers) are first solution
annealed, then quenched,
stretch formed and welded in
the as-shaped condition. Ageing
is then carried out artificially.
This results in distortion
so that the components
have to be straightened again
afterwards.
This complex process
can be simplified considerably
using the AlMgSc alloy.
Matthias Miermeister, who is
responsible at Aleris Europe
for maintaining close technical
contact with the development
departments of the aircraft
manufacturers, explains:
“With aluminium–magnesium–scandium
alloys, parts
can be welded flat without any
prior treatment. The sheet
does not have to be shaped
in a complex manner and the
stringer can also be welded to
the flat sheet. The curvature
of the stiffened component
required by the aircraft fuse-
lage is produced using creep
forming. In this process there
is no distortion or spring back
of the material, the finished
panel can be installed immediately.
The AlMgSc highperformance
alloy made such
cost-efficient manufacturing
possible for the first time.”
Creep forming is a patented
EADS process in which
the sheet is placed in a mould
and a vacuum is produced,
thus causing the sheet to take
up the shape of the mould
under the influence of the
temperature.
An added benefit of this
process: when heat is applied
in the weld seam area during
welding, there is a loss of
strength. Thanks to the scandium
in combination with a
special heat treatment during
the creep-forming process,
the strength of the material
is restored to that of the starting
material and at the same
time the sheet is given its final
shape, which is sometimes
complex.
A Solid Connection
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Messe Schweißen & Schneiden in Essen vom 14.-19. 09. 09 · Halle
At Airbus, the
alloy from Aleris E
in the form of AA502
recently attained the st
an internationally regi
alloy, has successfully
tiated nearly all of the s
of qualification. Aleris
already sold the first qu
tities of the alloy for p
projects being undertaken
Airbus and Premium Aerot
a spin-off of Airbus with fact
ries in Nordenham, Varel an
Augsburg. These are projec
that are also being funded b
the German federal ministry
responsible for technology
as part of its LuFo aerospace
research programme. The aim
of the programme includes
developing new technologies
for the cabin, fuselage and
engine.
Photos: Airbus
Improved damage
tolerance compared
with today’s aluminium
alloys
Aleris Europe has now
developed another AlMgSc
alloy that exhibits even better
properties than AA5024,
however this alloy has not yet
been AA registered.
Calculations of the statics
and analysis of the stability
carried out for fuselage
lower shells made of different
alloys for sheet metal skin and
stringer have shown that the
AlMgSc alloy makes it possible
to achieve weight savings
comparable to AlLi alloys in
the loading case considered
(see chart next page). Compared
with a conventional
2000-series alloy, however, the
AlMgSc alloy offers a weight
saving of 27 percent. There
are also significant weight
savings compared with conventional
6000-series alloys.
Continued on page 2
Heinz Soyer
Bolzenschweißtechnik
GmbH
Inninger Straße 14
82237 Wörthsee
Tel.: +49 8153 885-0
Fax: +49 8153 8030
export@soyer.de
www.soyer-shop.de
R