LWT - Arkey Group

UHSS
D E S I G N
Ti
Mg
M AT E R I A L S
L W T
Li
Al
C
Ti
Mg
A P P L I C AT I O N S
Al
Li
C
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
Lightweighting Technology
Update
Editor - Mr. Jayant Haridas
July 2013
Editorial
Lightweighting makes strategic
sense for Indian Auto Industry.
Development of lighter weight
vehicles have been identified as
critical with tighter emission
legislation, mandatory emerging fuel
economy and safety standards.
The issue of vehicle lightweighting
has been high on the agenda of the automotive industry
in recent years, and there have been some success in
terms of individual components and systems that weigh
less than their predecessors. However, the issue has not
been brought into focus by a combination of conditions
like industry working in uncoordinated and independent
manner and with low priority. Companies have already
made heavy investments for conventional steel vehicles.
Hence significant commitment will be required to lead the
way in light weight vehicles.
There is a need to draw a collaborative road map with
common vision and defined objective. A close Interaction
in a group of experts in all relevant fields can accelerate
development and production of lightweight vehicles.
Cooperation with industry partners and research
institutes, and government and private funding program
guarantee efficient development and production of LW
vehicles. Cost sharing R and D on polymers, Al,
Mg/MMC, AHSS and joining as well as virtual design and
testing will also facilitate faster introduction of lightweight
technology .
To quickly realize untapped potential of lightweighting
technology Automotive lightweighting Materials group
for coordination with different stakeholders can be
constituted.
A short term objective of this group would be to spread
awareness on the subject and can be met by publishing
Technical Bulletin , conducting Training Programs for
SME Sector and by organizing Annual Conferences on
LWT as a long term objective, this Automotive
Lightweighting group can
stakeholders and
coordinate with different
focus could be on development and
validation of advanced materials and manufacturing
technology to reduce weight, without compromise on
safety, performance ,cost and environment impact .
.This group can plan to collaborate with OEMS, material
suppliers, and component manufacturers ,existing
associations on materials like Al , Mg , polymers and
composites ,steels ,recycling, joining,
as well as
research labs and Universities and final objective of
faster implementation of Lightweight technology in
Indian Automotive sector.
With this background, International conference and
Exhibition on Advances in Lightweighting Technology
2012 for Transport Industry was organized by Arkey
conference cell at Hotel –Sun n Sand in Nov 2012 .
The conference attracted a large number of delegates
and speakers worldwide. The quality of presentations ,
participation by delegates and networking during the
event led to three days of exciting deliberations and
outcome and turned out to be a grand success.
As a next initiative, we are happy to bring out first
Technical Bulletin on Lightweighting Technology. We
would be happy your feedback
support and encourage this activity.
UHSS
D E S I G N
Ti
Mg
L W T
Li
M AT E R I A L S
Al
C
Ti
Mg
Al
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A P P L I C AT I O N S
C
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
and suggestions to
First Edition
By
LWT Group
www.arkeycell.com
For private circulation only

Automotive Lightweight Materials Forecast
Trends and various studies on lightweight design indicate a
tendency toward a greater mix of materials.
Table below shows the projected change in vehicle content of
various materials.
These new materials will be added at the expense of mild
strength steels. Steel will continue to be a factor as new
advanced and ultra-high-strength steels allow automakers to
reduce the thickness (and weight) of components while
maintaining the required level of strength. Aluminium,
magnesium, and composites also appear poised to gain a
stronger footing in the market as fuel economy legislation
pushes automakers to consider more aggressive weight
reduction strategies.
Table1 : Increase in Material Content from 2009 to 2020
Material Change in Vehicle Content by 2020(lbs. increase)
Advanced and Ultra High Strength Steel 350
Aluminium 31 to 70
Magnesium 24
10 (130 to 350
possible)
Plastics and composites 25
Source - Schultz, R. et al (2009), Metallic Material Trends for
North American Light Vehicle
Transportation Research has performed a study for the
Lightweight Materials Program within DOE's Office of
Transportation Materials to evaluate the suitability of wrought
Mg and its alloys to replace steel/aluminium for automotive
structural and sheet applications. Mg sheet could be used in
body non structural and semi-structural applications, while
extrusions could be used in such structural applications as
space frames. This study identifies high cost as the major
barrier to greatly increased Mg use in autos. Two technical
R&D areas, novel reduction technology and better hot-forming
technology, could enable major cost reductions.
Current usage Magnesium in car
With the necessary technological advances in alloy
performance being made in the mid 1980's and the continuous
drive to minimise weight and fuel consumption, today, there is
an exciting synergy between what the automotive industry is
Some of Potential projects on LW Materials
Ÿ Replace steel with Aluminium
Ÿ Replace Al with Mg in Chassis and Power train
components. Typical components in suspension systems,
Engine block, oil pan, front engine covers, transmission
casings. Other applications of Magnesium include
instrument panels, intake manifolds, cylinder head covers,
inner boot lid sections and steering components.
Ÿ C- fibre reinforced polymer matrix composites
demanding and what the magnesium industry has to offer.
Further growth is forecast over the next 10 years. In Europe,
Ÿ Promote use of AHSS with hot press quenching the increase in using magnesium as a structural lightweight
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Tailor welded blanks with HSS
Joining of LW materials
Crash energy management for adhesively bonded
composite structures
Weight reduction with Magnesium
Vehicle weight reduction is one of the major means available to
improve automotive fuel efficiency. High-strength steels,
aluminium (Al), and polymers are already being used to reduce
weight significantly, but substantial additional reductions could
be achieved by greater use of Low density magnesium (Mg)
and its alloys. Mg alloys are currently used in relatively small
quantities for auto parts, generally limited to die castings (e.g.,
housings). Argonne National Laboratory's Centre for
material is being led by the Volkswagen Group of companies,
with the material also being used by other leading
manufacturers including Daimler Chrysler (Mercedes Benz),
BMW, Ford and Jaguar. Presently, around 14kgs of
magnesium are used in the VW Passat, Audi A4 & A6. All those
vehicles use magnesium transmission casings cast in AZ91D,
offering a 20%-25% weight saving over aluminium. Other
applications include instrument panels, intake manifolds,
cylinder head covers, inner boot lid sections and steering
components which utilise the more ductile AM50A & AM60B
alloys. In North America, the use of magnesium for auto
applications is more advanced. The GM full sized Savana &
Express vans use up to 26kg of magnesium alloy.
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Current usage of Aluminium in car
than 50% less than a standard steel version. The carbon
Today's car contain 140 Kg OF ALUMINIUM
bonnet is a sandwich construction comprising a foam core
material between two layers of carbon fibre reinforced
The Audi A8L, the Jaguar XJ and the Range Rover are well plastic and was developed as part of the High-tech NRW
known for their high aluminium content, exceeding 500 kg, but research project.
all cars actually contain significant amounts of aluminium .
5. Automotive supplier Faurecia signed a framework
A study published by Ducker worldwide in cooperation with the agreement with German research institute Fraunhofer
European aluminium association shows that the amount of ICT concerning the joint R&D of industrial processes for
aluminium used per car produced in Europe almost tripled composites for automotive applications .
between 1990 and 2012, increasing from 50 kg to140 kg. This
6. Carbon fibre manufacturer Teijin announced the start up
amount is predicted to rise to 160 kg by 2020, and even reach
of its pilot plant in Japan for carbon fibre thermoplastic
as much as 180 kg if small and medium cars follow the
automotive parts. This uses Teijin's proprietary
evolution recorded in the upper segments of the automobile
manufacturing technology which is reported to reduce
industry.
cycle times required for moulding composite parts to less
The study is based on a detailed analysis of car models than 1 minute. In December 2011, Teijn and General
representing a European production volume of 17 million units Motors (GM) announced plans to co-develop carbon fibre
in 2012. The distribution of the140 kg on various parts can be composite technologies for potential use in high-volume
seen.
GM vehicles.
Source - European Aluminum Association
Carbon composites and cars – technology
watch 2012
2012 saw numerous developments and collaborations in the
automotive composites sector. Some of them are :
1. I Ford and Dow Automotive Systems signed a joint
development agreement to research the use of carbon
fibre composites in high-volume vehicles. Cutting the
weight of new cars by up to 750 lbs by the end of the
Automotive high strength steels
Steel, and in particular AHSS, best addresses the need for
reduced GHG emissions without compromising safety and
afford ability and not the low-density materials, like aluminium,
magnesium and plastics.
Collective findings of the research organized by world auto
steel show that replacing former conventional steel designs
with optimized advanced high-strength steel designs will, on
average, gain:
decade is key to Ford's strategy to improve fuel efficiency. • 21 to 25% reduction in body-in-white weight,
A couple of months later Dow announced plans to form a
• 9% reduction in vehicle weight,
joint venture with Turkish company AKSA to manufacture
• 5.1% reduced fuel consumption,
carbon fibre.
• 5.7% reduced life cycle GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent)
2. Benteler-SGL & Co KG, a joint venture between
and,
automotive supplier Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH
• Little or no increase in manufacturing costs.
and carbon fibre manufacturer SGL Group, announced an
investment of €36 million in a new plant in Austria to If optimised advanced high-strength steel body-in-white
manufacture automotive components made of carbon applications are replaced with aluminium applications, the
composites. The plant will start series production in mid replacement will, on average, gain:
2013.
• Only an 11% further reduction in body-in-white weight,3%
3. Showing that glass fibre is still very much in the mix, in July further reduction in vehicle weight,
SABIC Innovative Plastics announced that it was
"Significantly Boosting" capacity for its STAMAX long
• 1.8% further reduction of fuel consumption,
glass fibre reinforced polypropylene composite to meet • 2.6% increased life cycle GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent)
growing demand from automotive customers. The new and 65% increased production costs for body-in white.
production line is scheduled to start up in the second half
of 2013. STAMAX is used in front-end modules, door
modules, and seating and tailgate structures.
4. Ford announced it had developed a prototype carbon fibre
composite bonnet for the Ford Focus which weighs more
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A new study released today shows that an all-aluminum
vehicle can shed more than 40% body mass, boosting fuel
economy by 18% when combined with secondary mass
savings and other design changes. The study helps explain
why car and truck makers are shifting away from steel to
aluminum, and supports projections that aluminum-intensive
vehicles will become more common in the marketplace with
Abstract
Aluminum helps vehicles shed mass
continued demand for more fuel efficient vehicles. The
research, conducted by EDAG Group, Germany, and
commissioned by the Aluminum in Transportation Group of
the U.S. Aluminum Association, Arlington, Va., was presented
at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World
Congress (Detroit, Mich.).
You may like to read in detail
ALUMINUM AS A LIGHT WEIGHTING SOLUTION - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Vivek Srivastava, General Manager, Aditya Birla Science & Technology Company
e-mail: vivek.srivastava@adityabirla.com
The present paper discusses aluminum as a potential solution for the light weighting needs of the Indian automotive industry.
Aluminum is a proven solution for light-weighting as evidenced by average consumption of 145-160 kgs of aluminum per car
globally. In contrast, Indian auto industry consumes only 30- 35 kgs of aluminum per car. Specific opportunities, like closure
panels, engine cradles and heat shields are identified by benchmarking with European models. Data and approaches are
presented for addressing some of the challenges expected in implementation of the aluminum solutions for light-weighting.
Abstract
Composites are formed by the combination of two or more materials to achieve superior properties than its constituents. Fiber
reinforced polymer matrix composites are primarily used in automobiles. Use of composites gives much needed design flexibility,
weight reduction & part integration. Depending upon the product requirements appropriate manufacturing processes need to be
used to achieve best results. Low end process like Hand Lay Up to high end processes like Compression molding & Injection
molding is deployed. Bumpers, bonnets, head lamp reflectors, roofs, valve covers, oil sump, spare wheel tubs & various
structural members are few universally accepted composite applications. Involvement of the composite expert at the design
stage is a must for success of any development in composites.
Abstract
LIGHT WEIGHTING BY POLYMER COMPOSITES
Nachiket Thakur, Head, Innovation Center &, GM, Product Design & Development, Mahindra Composites Ltd
e-mail: thakur.n@mahindracomposites.com
APPLICATION OF LIGHT WEIGHTING TECHNIQUES IN THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF
A TYPICAL LIGHT TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
Abbani Rinku, APD, Airframe, SARAS, CSIR-NAL
e-mail: rinku@ccadd.cmmacs.ernet.in
Aircraft Structural Components must be of light weight to get additional payload and better performance. This can be achieved
using the advanced materials like carbon composites or advanced computer aided optimization techniques viz., Topology and
Size optimization. This paper describes the application of both these techniques to structural components of a typical Light
Transport Aircraft (LTA). The first technique, utilization of advanced materials, is explained with few case studies in the structural
design of typical Aircraft components. In the second technique, Topology optimization has been carried out to get an optimized
shape and material distribution followed by Size optimization, which gives the optimum thickness. Using these techniques,
various Aircraft structural components can be analyzed to achieve an optimal design.
UHSS
D E S I G N
Ti
Mg
L W T
Li
M AT E R I A L S
Al
C
Ti
Mg
Al
Li
A P P L I C AT I O N S
C
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
Suggestions are Invited For
nd
2 Edition of Conference on
Advances in Lightweighting Technology - 2014
December 2014
ARKEY CONFERENCE
SERVICE CELL, PUNE
ARKEY CONFERENCE SERVICE CELL
‘Guruprasad’, 37/4/A, 6th Lane, Prabhat Road, Pune 411 004, India
T: +91 20 2565 1717, 2567 0808 | Mobile: +91 97647 11315
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