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Investigacion I 7004
Investigacion I 7004
TABLE I
MATRIX OF MATERIALS COMBINATION FOR CAR COMPONENTS [2].
As we can see there are different combinations that can where automotive industry is focused.
be used on designing a car component but the selection has As the main concern its lightweight materials we can see
to be based in the function of the product, materials have in our matrix that Magnesium alloys have the best index due
mechanical properties and the requirements of the designed to its low density and high resistance, which combined in
component have to be satisfied its functionality, those one only material or placed in layers can create chassis
properties will have direct influence on the performance of structures that offer corrosion protection and impact
the product as it quality, Chiner [3], has proposed five steps resistance, weight reduction objective is 100% focused on
that can be taken to make a decision when it comes to fuel efficiency, high strength steels, aluminum and mostly
material selection: polymers are used to reduce a significant amount of weight
but the possibility of combining Magnesium and alloys
Clarity of the design model, reduce weight in substantial numbers although Magnesium
Evaluation of material properties, is used in the automotive industry in die castings, housings,
Selection of material candidate, etc. Magnesium reduces about 36% weight per unit volume
Evaluation and judgment for optimal solution, than aluminum and 78% than iron also when alloyed Mg has
Proof checks. the best strength to weight ratio of metals known, reduce
weight and CO2, but strategies used to date are way apart
Lately the environmental part plays a big role so from material modification, things as downsizing including
components have also to be sustainable and create the less aerodynamically modifications but not material
environmental impact as possible becoming the material modification that allows weight reduction on a molecular
selection a multi-criteria decision, higher recyclability will level, all the designing efforts are made to improve fuel
make the product more durable preserving natural resources efficiency and emission reduction, when it comes to
that’s why now automotive regulation organisms impose material improvement changes the most common it’s a
higher recycling ratio which means using fewer materials switch from iron to high strength steel, also iron and steel to
with the objective of creating easy disassembled models. aluminum and plastics causing a weight reduction of 15 to
There are single material solutions or alloys as we saw on 20% in some cases [4].
the matrix, single material selection is wider because there Mg can be found in vast quantities at least is found on
are already researches made that allow designers to optimize seawater but due to its low percentage 0.13% making it a
the design, allowing them to maximize its performance and virtual big material supply, besides that Mg has a great
some objectives that they can propose themselves with this recycling ratio, part of the material development is testing
new component but mainly profits, heat management, time different combinations and Mg properties as light weight,
of manufacturing, performance, environmental impact and strength and average superior ductility makes this kind of
quantity of material are the most important ones so that’s alloys an interesting option in fields like automotive and
aerospace components. This type of new alloys has high
temperature properties and automotive applications require CHASSIS
ductility to absorb energy in collisions, hit absorption is Chassis has diversity of components as diverse
crucial in accidents which can be raised using alloys manufacturing materials, in here mechanisms are simple and
achieving its optimization, other components require some there are also structural components, we can find mostly
different characteristics like higher strength and ductility iron and steel, components with structural function are made
therefore most of cars parts are made from materials of the by steel while those that are involved in mechanical
matrix we talked previously and they are divided in three functions have wider range of materials, Al is the most used
parts: and it could be replaced by Mg specially in unstrung parts
where low mass is crucial, wheels are the most common
Body type of Mg use and development of a competitive
Power train production process based on welded/stamped components
Chassis would enable a wide range of usage.
Mg alloys have two disadvantages in automotive
applications:
Low high temperature strength
Poor corrosion resistance
High purity alloys improve corrosion problem improving it
but doesn’t change the galvanic problem if Mg is in contact
with another metal and an electrolyte, the low heat
resistance is also a serious problem especially in high
demand applications (power train). Low creep resistance,
high thermal expansion coefficient, low young modulus,
insufficient ductility and crash energy consumption, low
fatigue stability, etc. are aspects where alloys have to
overcome with new technique/process developments.
III. CONCLUSIONS
TABLE II
. WEIGHT REDUCTION BY COMBINATING
MAGNESIUMWITH OTHER MATERIALS [5]
Figure 1: Applications of Mg alloys in motor vehicles. [4]
BODY
This is the larger group and it’s about 40% of total mass
in most of cases, steel is the most used when it comes to
structural parts, mechanisms are mainly made with metals
but combined with plastics such as low stressed housings,
Mg can be used on primary structural parts like protection
jail, sit frames are also components where Mg is already in
use especially in high performance models (500/10.000
units/year) increasing Mg usage in automotive, when it
comes to body also Mg sheet can be a good compliment but
that requires a huge economical expense to realize a high
volume heat forming process.
POWER TRAIN
Engine and transmission system are combination of As we can see according to table II Mg combination
assemblies and tons of individual components, Magnesium allows weight reduction (about 92.51%) in some cases
can replace some iron and aluminum in some housings and which translated into all car components (40% for body)
covers but magnesium doesn’t have creep resistance of gives us an approximate reduction of 37% in body, which
aluminum that’s why it can’t be used in fundamental parts transformed into total weight sees about 0.65tons of weight
like the block and the head, transmission system works at reduction (in a 1.75tons car) allowing it to consume less
lower temperatures this meaning that magnesium can energy and fuel emissions preserving ozone cape, also Mg
replace aluminum in massive main housings, mg housings addition advantages are easy recycling processes obtaining
are already used in transfer cases, opportunities of including as much recycled material as you can get from any other car
mg in power train components are really low due to its high components material, metals can be melted and reused and
temperature exposure.
as Mg has lower heating/melting points the recyclable time
gets reduced besides the energy usage to do it.
Weight reduction in cars will provide a new dimension to
design and concepts however there are not that much
advantages on it how things are at the moment that’s due to
its hard switch into mass produced cars when profits are
important and also safety but in exclusive models we can
ensure that new technologies as Mg alloys are already being
used but with the price raise that it comes with, as long as
cars are usable with current materials and specifications
there are not much improvements we normal car users can
experience at least in a short period of time, we can ensure
that in future car design will be based on reducing weight
without losing its performance but now we can’t as we see
in competition cars weight is a huge factor but in our cases
we don’t drive for winning we drive for commodities that it
brings we also have to ask ourselves ¿do I want a fast car or
a safe car? When most of us need a safe ride that can
perform on a safe speed range and when it’s involved in a
collision is able to keep us safes and so the ones that are
with us, ¿are we willing to sacrifice commodities and safety
for speed?, I’m 100% sure we won’t.
IV. REFERENCES