Applications of alluminium alloy in automotive lightweighting

In the booming automobile industry and at the same time, due to the need of environmental protection and energy saving, automotive lightweighting has become the world development trend. In the process of the implementation of auto lightweight aluminum alloy material will use their natural advantages, mainly used for reconstruction and the use of alternative materials. Can be roughly divided into body lightweighting automotive lightweighting lightweight, chassis and engine lightweight types, its purpose is on the premise of guarantee performance through the use of lighter materials to reduce vehicle weight, so as to realize energy conservation and environmental protection function.

Obviously, aluminum alloy in automotive lightweighting has its natural advantage:

A, weight reduction and energy saving effect is obvious. Aluminum mechanical performance is good, its density is only 1/3 of the steel, with good thermal conductivity, second only to copper, machining performance is 4.5 times higher than iron, and the natural formation on the surface of the oxide film has good corrosion resistance, thus become the most ideal choice for realizing auto lightweight aluminum material.

Second, improve passenger comfort and safety. Aluminum alloy car is in the case of not reduce car capacity to reduce car weight, body weight reduction, the car more stable and comfortable. As a result of the aluminum good energy absorption, has obvious advantages in collision safety, the deformation area in the front of the car collisions would produce wrinkles, can absorb a lot of impact, so as to protect the back of the driver and passenger.

Three, aluminum easy to recycle. Aluminum products in the process of using almost no or only slight corrosion, corrosion to occur in the use of conventional materials, industrial aluminum recycling rate is the highest value. In aluminum, aluminum products, use, recycling aluminum ingots – then processed into circulation process of aluminum, aluminum consumption is only about 5%, the regeneration performance is higher than any a kind of common metal. We can chart intuitive understanding of the aluminum alloy material in the form of its typical applications in the automotive lightweight:

The east light company in automotive lightweight alloy material

1. The car door in 5754 aluminum alloy sheet, 6005 a profile:

East light company combining with the domestic market, independent development of the car door in 5754 aluminum alloy sheet was placed on the national car new material technology development project of the ninth five-year plan, and get the strong support of the country. Product quality has reached the similar foreign product quality level and standard requirements, entirely replace the imports, and achieve the goal of the product, batch production, develop the complete production process operation procedures and quality guarantee system. Lightweight and materials for automobile body localization has made a contribution. The project in October 1999 passed the provincial appraisal, the product in 2000 got the title of “national key new product”, won third prize of new products in heilongjiang province, Harbin, scientific and technological progress second prize.

2. 5083 superplastic alloy plates

Superplastic forming aluminum alloy is mainly used in aircraft, vehicles, construction and other areas of complex parts, geometry can reduce waste, improve yield, ensure the overall accuracy of parts after machining. Developed for domestic 5083 superplastic materials blank, with the demand of the London underground train, my company to carry out the research work of the 5083 super plastic boards. Determined by alloy composition, casting process optimization, homogenization heat treatment and rolling process test, developed by 5083 superplastic material performance and foreign materials, to meet user requirements, replacing the imported materials, the material temperature superplasticity of up to 200 ~ 298%. As the international aluminum alloy superplastic forming production to expand the range of application, especially in rail transit, luxury cars, luxury cars increased demand of complex parts processing, the application prospect of the material is extremely broad. The current different application fields in the east light company has received product needs to order.

3. The car welcome board, logo with S501 strip, plate with 3 series aluminum alloy sheet:

With the development of science and technology and the continuous improvement of people’s living standard, car has gradually into the family, the car market competition is increasingly fierce. High-grade car decoration is also in constant pursuit of perfection, auto receiving plate, logo and other raw materials for higher requirements on the material surface finish, always use imported materials. East light company in 2011 for the material localization first trial production, and successfully trial-produced in early 2012. The alloy strip adopts single side polishing rolling, rolling surface, on the other side is a regular by the user use effect is good, is now realize batch production. At the same time, the license plate with 3 series aluminum alloy strip has been industrialized production.

4. Car radiator with aluminum alloy composite materials:

Aluminum alloy composite material is aluminum composite foil, composite belt, composite board collectively, is manufacturing automobile air conditioner, radiator, cold, oil cooler, heater, air dryers and air separation equipment such as brazing type heat exchanger of key raw materials. Compound material mainly by 2 ~ 3 kinds of alloy after composite rolling 2 ~ 5 layers of compound material, made of cladding layer (skin) or low potential for high silicon alloy, such as 4004, 4045, 4047, 4045, 4004, such as matrix (core material) mainly 3003, 3003 + 3003 + 1.5% zinc, 1.5% zinc and 3004 alloy, etc. The brazing principle is: the aluminum alloy composite materials and other fittings, plate heat exchanger in the high temperature of 600 ℃ or so of brazing furnace, melting layer and the substrate is not melting, high silicon alloy by siphonage and diffusion mechanism make the radiator fin and heat exchanger channels, heat soldering together, so as to realize heat exchange effect.

East light company is the first domestic development and production of brazing alloy composite material for heat exchanger manufacturers, it can produce more than 10 kinds of alloy and hundreds of specifications of the compound material products, also can be used according to user requirements and characteristics of the development and production of special purpose of aluminum alloy composite material products.

5. Car insulation with 1050, 3004, 5052, plate belt

The application of aluminum alloy on the hood is also gradually increased, is the most successful application of the audi car company. Audi’s lightweight aluminium body technology is a core technology of the audi company, the company has been in this field for 20 years of research and development, its exquisite technology far ahead of other car manufacturers. Audi A8 and A2 in the world’s famous associations and professional media of the award-winning, has won more than 40 awards. The jaguar (jaguar) are engaged in the development and application of the whole aluminum body, in June 2003, began selling a whole aluminum body top XJ sedan. In addition, Toyota’s new crown, Mercedes – Benz e-class car hood, Peugeot 307 4 p, and adopt the aluminum alloy material.

6. Oil cooler, air tank with 3003 board

Car air conditioning equipment (condenser, evaporator, radiator, oil cooler, heater equipment heat exchanger in the condenser, evaporator, almost 100% of the empty carrying type oil cooler made of aluminum, the difficulty is the durability of aluminum radiator cooling capacity, durability is mainly due to corrosion and leakage problems, the reason is that cooling fluid caused by internal corrosion and external corrosion caused by salt. Add to the cooling water rust inhibitor to prevent internal corrosion; Surface processing can be used for salt caused by external corrosion and corrosion resistant alloy to prevent.

7. 6 a02t6, 6060 t4 and t6 6060 car anticollision beam shapes

Bumper as a buffer to absorb collision energy confidential is generally installed on the car, but it did increase the quality of the car. Therefore, aluminum bumper appear to reach the purpose of lightweight, at the same time, the intensity of the aluminum alloy material and the energy absorption buffer advantages are obvious.

Pieces with 8. Tank plate 5052, 5083, 5182, cylinder pad with 5754 board

5 XXX series strength than 1 XXX and XXX series aluminum alloy 3 high, belongs to the high strength aluminum alloy, the fatigue performance of alloy plate has high strength, high formability, high corrosion resistance and high surface area and the rational welding performance is good wait for an advantage, so widely used in automobile fuel tank, structure and flat in the engine. Was in the car with 5 XXX series alloy plates are typically 5052518 2 and the aluminium company independent development 5 XXX series high formability of materials.

9. 6016 t4 alloy plate structure

Development is the development trend of 6000 cars plate aluminum alloy, after solid solution treatment, add appropriate pretreatment, good formability, then in the paint and high bake hardening, after stamping forming the paint baking, performance can be further improved, therefore, study more and more attention of 6000 series alloys, department alloy with excellent comprehensive performance and become a focus of research both at home and abroad, the whole alloy in T4 (solid solution hardening + natural aging) state delivery, has a lower yield strength (< 150 mpa), which can provide good formability, in the process of the product in the final of the lacquer that bake by ageing strengthening for strength and good combination of the sag resistance.

10. Auto suspension parts with aluminum alloy forgings

At present, the domestic enterprises for panels and aluminum automotive wheel hub was carried out by a lot of research work, and some companies have already begun the batch delivery, but automotive suspension parts with aluminum alloy material, did not carry out research work by suzhou institute of non-ferrous metal and the eastern light, for aluminum automotive suspension parts research, produce 6 XXX series high performance aluminum alloy car suspension parts, developed with intellectual property rights, good performance of new products.