Table of ContentsAluminiumPowertrainChassisFrontBody in White (BIW)Application of Aluminum in BIW of Multiple Car ModelsComparison of Casting and ExtrusionExtrusionsCastingsMagnesium in a CarThe Growing Concern About Price oil and environmental protection from emissions has made automakers turn to alternative lightweight materials like Al and Mg to replace ordinary steel and cast iron. Due to the strict laws imposed on the regulation of Co2 emissions, it is necessary to develop new concepts or methodologies to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and thus reduce pollution. Through studies carried out in Europe, we observe that the quantity of Co2 per kilometer can be considerably reduced by reducing the weight of the car. Reducing vehicle weight therefore plays an important role in reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Weight reduction can be achieved mainly in two ways; the first is to modify the materials used in the vehicle; the second is the structural optimization of the Body in White (BIW). When choosing a new lightweight material, several aspects such as cost, material properties, impact on product design and production process, etc., must be considered. More importantly, the various performance parameters such as vehicle dynamics, operational strength, crashworthiness, etc., must be satisfactory. Evaluation of these parameters can be carried out using testing of a physical prototype of the final vehicle design. If performance is not as expected, then it is necessary to improve the structure or change the material used and repeat the testing process via an updated physical prototype. This continues until we get a model with the desired performance and considerable weight reduction. This is clearly a time-consuming and expensive process and is why numerical methods such as finite element methods (FEM) are used to generate virtual prototypes and test them on the computer without the need for a physical prototype . Using FEM in combination with optimization techniques such as multidisciplinary optimization, structures can be optimized for weight and functional objectives such as static and dynamic performance, during the initial stages of the design itself (Gaetano ). In this way, the time required to design a new product with optimized material usage can be reduced while simultaneously taking into account multiple disciplines such as driving dynamics, structural statics and impact resistance, etc. . Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayAluminiumAluminum has been widely used to make different subsystems of a car like chassis, body in white (BIW ), powertrain, etc. The powertrain mainly consists of engine blocks, intake manifolds, cylinder heads, transmission cases, etc. Aluminum has been commonly used in all of these powertrain components for a long time, but its use in the engine block to reduce engine weight has recently begun. Since the motor will operate at high temperatures, it is necessary for the material to have properties such as good thermal conductivity, good fatigue resistance, vibration resistance, etc., at high temperatures. In addition, for efficient combustion offuel with air, the engine components must have very good leak resistance. Since aluminum has the ability to meet all the requirements mentioned above, it is used effectively in the manufacturing of powertrain components. ChassisPreviously, the chassis of the car was made of steel, which results in a higher unsprung mass of the vehicle. The vibration behavior of the vehicle depends directly on its unsprung mass; a reduction in the unsprung mass will improve driving comfort and safety thanks to better tire-road contact. This is why car manufacturers started using aluminum for chassis components to reduce weight. Typical chassis components, such as wheels, suspension, braking system, fuel system, etc., are made of cast aluminum. In the casting process, the rate at which solidification of the microstructure occurs is very important and must be controlled effectively in order to produce defect-free castings. Additionally, porosity and oxide film formation can be eliminated by avoiding turbulence during metal casting. This is achieved using computer-aided heat and fluid flows and proper design of the location and geometry of foundry components such as injection pins, risers and gates. In this way, aluminum castings with very good fatigue and impact resistance can be obtained. In frames, Al 5000 series alloys are mainly used due to their good formability, weldability, good strength after forming and supreme corrosion resistance even without the need for coatings. However, when components are located near heat sources such as the engine or exhaust systems, to resist thermal loads, the magnesium content of the alloy must be less than 3%, which would otherwise result in intergranular corrosion (IGC). The figure below shows the chassis components made from Al 5000 series. Apart from this, the wheels are also made from cast aluminum, especially in luxury cars, both to reduce weight and to give a superior appearance to the personalized design. In the case of heavy machinery such as trucks and construction machinery, where the magnitude of loads is high, the wheels are produced in forged aluminum to meet the requirements of higher mechanical strength. Overall, the application of aluminum in chassis components not only reduces fuel consumption, but also, importantly, improves driving comfort and vehicle safety. Front End An efficient front end design helps improve driving dynamics as well as the vehicle's ability to withstand crash loads. BMW managed to use Al in the manufacture of the front structure and achieve a 30% weight reduction compared to the steel structure. The figure below shows that the front-end modules are manufactured using different techniques such as extrusion, molding and sheet metal stamping, each of which has its own contribution to meet the requirements of strength, rigidity and resistance to corrosion. The formability of the structure can be further improved by increasing the magnesium content in the aluminum alloy. Body In White (BIW) BIW, which was formerly made of steel, is the heaviest part of the vehicle and contributes about a third of the total weight. of the car. Car manufacturers have therefore discovered great potential for reducing the weight of the entirecar thanks to the construction of BIW with aluminum alloys. BIW mainly includes the single structure and hanging parts like door, hood, fender, etc. fixed to the structure by bolts. Aluminum alloys of the 5000 and 6000 series in the form of thin sheets are used for the manufacture of BIW, and the selection of the material is made based on whether or not the component is subjected to thermal loads and also whether it This is one piece. of the interior or exterior structure. Low magnesium heat treatable Al 6000 alloys are used for exterior BIW panels and suspended parts to use heat during the paint baking process to strengthen the material. Additionally, a very good surface finish and corrosion resistance can be imparted, which is essential for exterior panels as they are directly exposed to the outside world. While for BIW structure and interior panels, strength and formability are main parameters and as they are not exposed to heat or thermal loads, the use of high Mg Al alloys is preferable. Therefore, Al 5000 series alloys with magnesium content above 5 mass% have been developed and successfully used in BIW structures. The BIW of a car can be designed and manufactured mainly in two ways: the first is a structure which is mainly made from a process of stamping different panels of the body, which are welded together by means of spot welding . The other method is a BIW structure in which different components are manufactured from different manufacturing processes like metal casting, extrusion and of course conventional stamping. To use the self-stamping process, the aluminum sheets used must be workable enough to be able to form the complex shapes required at a reasonable cost. The section below presents the different industry models employing different methodologies to manufacture a BIW.Application of Al in BIW of several car modelsAudi, one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world, has used the Space concept Frame to build the BIW of A8, which weighs approximately 277 kg. The parts are mainly manufactured using extrusion process and few components are also produced from sheet metal casting and stamping processes. Different parts are joined together using techniques such as riveting, inert gas welding, laser welding and adhesives. Through the application of aluminum alloys, Audi managed to reduce the weight of the BIW by 40% and found the Space Frame concept to be truly effective. Eventually, they produce very large volumes of cars every year using the same concept and with even lighter BIWs. However, Jaguar in its 2002 XJ model still uses the conventional "stamped sheet metal monocoque" to construct the BIW. It can be seen that unlike the Space Frame Concept used by Audi, the number of parts produced from sheet metal stamping is very high compared to parts made from casting and extrusion. Additionally, the main procedures used for assembly are adhesives and rivets, which leads to a higher weight of the BIW compared to the Space Frame Concept BIW. Comparison of Casting and ExtrusionExtrusionsAluminum extrusion is a manufacturing process widely used in the automotive field, especially for producing parts with complex designs. Component weight reduction can be achieved simultaneously by meeting the required features and that is why the process.