The cargo carrying capacity was also increased, and the model has better acceleration and braking characteristics. At the same time, the truck's been given the highest reliability rating by NHTSA, five stars instead of the four stars that the previous model was given. The main method for making various auto parts is casting and stamping with milled sheets and bands used as the raw materials.
However, some parts are made using the unusual method of hard pressing fine aluminium powder sintered aluminium powder or SAP. Oxidised aluminium powder is placed inside an aluminium container and heated up to a temperature just below the metal's melting point and thus pressure is applied. Parts made in this manner have better than average strength and are used in environments with high temperature and low traction, for instances aluminium engine pistons are made in this manner.
Tesla Tesla's additional protection comprises three levels. Level two is a titanium plate that protects the most vulnerable components in the front of the vehicle, and level three is a stamped aluminium shield that dissipates the energy of the shock and lifts the car over solid immobile obstacles.
Aluminium has another very useful property: it's very good at absorbing shock: in fact it's twice as effective at it as steel. For this reason, automakers have long been using aluminium in bumpers. The bottom of the revolutionary Tesla electric car is covered by 8-mm bullet proof aluminium alloy sheets that protect the battery compartment and guarantee safety at speeds of up to kph. Recently the company started installing new aluminium-titanium armour plates on its vehicles that allow them to literally crush concrete and forged steel obstacles that get in the way while allowing the driver to remain in total control of the vehicle.
Another reason why an aluminium body is superior to a steel one in terms of safety is because when aluminium parts get bent or deformed, the deformation remains localised to the areas of impact while the rest of the body retains the original shape, ensuring safety for the passenger compartment. Experts claim that in the next ten years automakers are going to significantly expand the use of aluminium in their models. Lots and lots of aluminium is going to find its way into body parts and entire car bodies are going to be built from aluminium.
At the same time many automakers are currently negotiating with aluminium producers to build closed-loop production facilities where new aluminium car parts are made from recycled aluminium parts taken out of discarded vehicles. It's hard to imagine a more environmentally friendly production model.
Rail Transport. The use of aluminium in rail transport began almost immediately after the emergence of mass production of aluminium. In New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, a company that was then owned by banker John Pierpont Morgan, began producing special super light passenger cars with aluminium seats.
However, initially there was more demand for aluminium in the cargo transport segment, where ideally you want to keep the weight of the rolling stock to a minimum in order to maximise the amount of cargo that can be carried.
The first all-aluminium freight cars were made in the US in They were hopper cars intended for transporting bulk and granulated cargo with funnel-shaped bodies and unloading hatches in the bottom. Today, hopper cars are produced primarily from 6xxx series alloys that have improved strength and better than average corrosion resistance properties. Shinkansen The first high speed rail system was put into operation in Japan in The service ran between Tokyo and Osaka and covered the distance of km in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching speeds of kph.
Shinkansen solved a serious transport problem in a region that is home to more than 45 million people. Today aluminium freight cars are used to transport coal, various rocks and minerals as well as grain, while tanker cars made from aluminium carry acids.
There are also special cars for transporting finished goods such as new cars from production facilities to dealerships. An aluminium freight car is a third lighter than a steel car.
Its higher initial costs are recouped in the first two years of operation because it can carry more cargo. In passenger cars aluminium allows manufacturers to shave off a third of the weight compared to steel cars. In rapid transit and suburban rail systems where trains have to make a lot of stops, significant savings can be achieved as less energy is needed for acceleration and braking with aluminium cars.
In addition, aluminium cars are easier to produce and contain significantly fewer parts. In long distance rail systems aluminium is widely used in high speed rail systems, which began to be introduced en masse in the s. High speed trains travel at speeds of kph and more. New high speed rail technologies promise speeds in excess of kph. Transrapid This is the maglev line that connects Shunghai with Pudun airport in China. The maglev train travels at kph and covers the distance of Aluminium makes it possible to reduce the weight of such trains, which reduces the bends in the rails that add to the friction resistance.
In addition, a high speed train, like a plane, has to have an aerodynamic shape and have a minimal amount of protruding parts, and here too aluminium helps the designers out. High speed trains made from aluminium are used by France's TGV high speed rail systems. Trains for this network began to be developed in the s by Alstom France and the first line connecting Paris and Lyon was opened in Today TGV is Europe's largest high speed rail system and is planned to be used as the basis for a Europe-wide high speed rail system.
The first TGV trains were made from steel, but aluminium replaced steel in later generations. Thus the latest model train called AGV is made entirely from aluminium alloys and travels at speeds of up to kph. The body of Russia's first high speed train Sapsan is also made from aluminium alloys. The magnetic levitation technology is the next step in the development of high speed rail.
Brass is used in bushings and the radiator. Other metals used to lesser amounts are: chromium, lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel and zinc. We are metal experts and have been providing quality customer service and products since At Metal Supermarkets, we supply a wide range of metals for a variety of applications. Our stock includes: mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tool steel, alloy steel, brass, bronze and copper.
We stock a wide range of shapes including: bars, tubes, sheets, plates and more. And we can cut metal to your exact specifications. See all Blog Posts. What is aluminum? How is aluminum different from other metals?
Weight Aluminum is light. Its density is one third that of steel. Strength Aluminum is strong. Malleability Aluminum is extremely malleable, and can be extruded into any desired shape by passing it through a die. Conductivity Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Reflectivity Aluminum is a good reflector of both light and heat.
Corrosion resistance Aluminum reacts with the oxygen in the air to form a microscopically thin layer of oxide. Why does the auto industry need aluminum?
How is it used? Safety benefits Aluminum can absorb twice as much energy in a crash than the equivalent weight of steel. Environmental benefits Nearly 90 percent of automotive aluminum scrap is recovered and recycled. Fuel efficiency Vehicles with aluminum components can be 24 percent lighter than those with steel components.
These alloys are specifically meant for the hot-metal forming of aluminium sheet, for complex automotive components. Most of the major suppliers are now developing AA7xxx automotive sheet alloys in an attempt to meet the higher expectations OEMs have for greater strength. However, the AA7xxx alloys with additions of Zn , aside of higher cost, have to overcome both corrosion and stress corrosion issues, particularly for alloys that are conventionally weldable.
Consequently, the AA6xxx alloys remain the predominant materials used in automotive applications for now. Welding of aluminium alloys with each other, or with other metals, is also an issue that needs further technology improvements and innovations.
Recent discoveries have lead to the conclusion that this problem will soon be overcome, which would consequently accelerate their adoption by auto manufacturers. Factors such as tool geometry, choice of welding parameters, post-weld heat treatment PWHT , workpiece thickness, thermal cycle during welding, and auxiliary cooling greatly influence the resultant microstructure and strength of the weldment.
Compared with conventional 3xxx casting alloys, this one eliminates brittle silicon particles, allowing for better properties. The result is significantly higher tensile and fatigue strengths MPa T. EverCast achieves excellent fluidity and resistance to hot cracking and shrinkage formation. Recent research also showed that overaged copper containing 7xxx-series alloys provide robust crack and corrosion resistance in tests. The 3 rd generation of Al—Li alloys aluminium-lithium could also become integral to various components of luxury cars thanks to their excellent combination of low density, high strength, high stiffness, and excellent damage tolerance.
In the past, these alloys were reserved for use in the aerospace industry. Over the past ten years, Airware alloy joined as a preferred plate material for both pressurized and non-pressurized structural components used in space launchers and crew modules requiring a thickness range of 1. Aluminium alloyed with scandium creates an extra strong, lightweight alloy with excellent resistance to corrosion and has good weldability.
Even a small amount of scandium in aluminium alloys substantially enhances strength and makes it more resistant to corrosion. These alloy properties can be achieved with scandium additions in the range of 0. Thanks to its fine grain refinement, Al-Sc alloys reduce hot cracking in welds, increase strength and delivers better fatigue behaviour.
While these alloys are rather expensive several times more than aluminium , and more focused for applications in the aerospace industry, further developments and decreasing scandium costs will increase their use in the automotive industry. Recent investments in scandium mining especially in Australia will hopefully lead to price levels that are acceptable for automakers. If conventional alloys tend to be cheaper and are increasingly relying on recycled scrap to achieve lower costs, the crop of cutting edge alloys is substantially more expensive, making them too pricey for most automakers.
However, their price point is expected to decline in the future due to things like higher commercial use and higher availability of alloyed metals. Once that happens, automotive producers will be much more likely to adopt them.
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