Light Weight Material for Automobile Essay

General segment car with light weight alloys and metal matrix composites 1. 1 Analysis An automobile is a single biggest polluter, as emissions from millions of vehicles add up. As motor vehicles have been huge sources of pollution for the world since the last hundred years, the major car companies and market see profit by introducing some new technologies to reduce emission and delivering best solutions to customers. One of the major reasons for emission is weight of the vehicle. As weight increases carbon emission increases and fuel efficiency decreases. Both equally reduce customer perceptions. Present market battles to reduce carbon emissions and to fulfill customer demands for highly fuel efficient vehicles. As the above statement is top priority in present market and coming future, metallic parts of a general segment car will be replaced by light weight alloys by coming decades. However significant cost challenges are there for using light weight materials from manufacturing process to end life cycle. Smartly tackling of this cost will be the key to market applications. 1. 2Strategic sense which helps to make light weighting vehicles Global warming, global fuel prices and fuel demands are going to a critical situation, which makes human to think alternatively. As more fuel uses, more CO2 produces. If majority of vehicles made by steels are replaced by lightweight vehicles, it will reduce the global fuel needs. As this initiative makes very good advantages to world, it will get a lot of co-operation from other industries governments and political systems. Technologically and economically there are a lot of challenges and things to be done. Much R&D works to do. Right from material selection, product design, process design, manufacturing methods, joining methods all has to be redesign for established organizations. It is a very big challenge. 1. 3 Initiatives taken to make light weighting vehicles To achieve a light weight structures, without compromising rigidity auto engineers have been researching the replacement of steel with plastics, aluminum and magnesium. Using of advanced material for reducing weight is the least expensive way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is found that; * For every 10% weight reduction in weight of a car will result in 5% -7% improvements in fuel efficiency. * For every kilogram of weight reduction of a car will result in the reduction of carbon dioxide about 20kg. [1] 1. 4 Weight saving and relative cost for light weight material Figure 1. 1 Relative material properties and cost [2]. Important key factors while using advanced light weight materials are manufacturability, cost and joining processes. But as requirement is the mother of invention, manufacturability of aluminum and its composite’s will become easier and economical by coming years. Different manufacturing techniques are there to form aluminum into desired shape. 1. 5 Vehicle Case Study Super light Car Project: Figure 1. 2 Light weight materials, a vehicle case study [3] The objective of this project was to make an innovative idea by multi-material and light weight structure. This project proved that, BIW panel structure weight can reduce by 30%, multi material manufacturing with reduced cost, recyclability and sustainability of light weight materials. This project was a benchmark performance by joined venture of many sectors and seven vehicle manufactures (including Volkswagen and Volvo), 10 suppliers, 10 R&D companies and seven universities. The final product was a mix of different materials and a wide range of joining technologies. The figure 1. 2 shows the benefits, that Super Light Project achieved.