Materials in the Automotive Industry
1. Materials in the Automotive Industry
Various materials are used to make cars. The main materials used for making cars, parts and components, along with future trends, are steel, aluminum, magnesium, copper, plastics and carbon fiber. The main factors for selecting the material, especially for the automobile body, are numerous and include thermal, chemical or mechanical resistance, easy manufacturing and durability. Affordability is an important issue in vehicle manufacturing, which includes factoring in the costs associated with a car’s complete life–cycle, including manufacturing, operating and disposal costs.
Iron and steel form the critical elements of the structure for the vast majority of vehicles, and are low cost materials.The prime reason for using steel in the body structure is its inherent capability to absorb impact energy in a crash situation.There have been many developments concerning iron and steel over the past couple of decades that have made steel more lightweight, stronger, stiffer and improved other performance characteristics. Applications include not only vehicle bodies, but also engine, chassis, wheels and many other parts (doors, hoods, hatchbacks etc.)
Aluminum usage in automotive industry has grown within past years, due to its low density and high specific energy absorption performance and good specific strength. The use of aluminum can potentially reduce the weight of the vehicle body. Recent developments have shown that up to 50% weight saving for the body in white can be achieved by the substitution of steel by aluminum. Aluminum is used for body structures, chassis applications, closures and exterior attachments such as crossbeams, doors or bonnets.
Magnesium is another light metal that is becoming increasingly common in automotive engineering. It is 33% lighter than aluminum and 75% lighter than steel/cast iron components. Magnesium alloys have distinct advantages over aluminum that include better manufacturability and faster solidification. In addition, magnesium components have higher machinability.
Titanium has been mainly used in high temperatures zones, and high strength requirement areas, such as exhaust systems, suspension springs, valve springs, valves and connecting rods.
Lead is a heavy metal that is soft and malleable and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used in multiple fields from the automobile and marine industries to the medical field as a protection against radiations, X-rays and the sports field. From among the many applications of lead, the most extensive one is in the manufacture of storage batteries. Lead is a principal component of lead-acid batteries used in cars.
Fiber reinforced composites offer a wide range of advantages to the automotive industry. It is because the composite structures are the high strength/low weight ratio. Carbon fiber–reinforced or fiber glass reinforced composites offer numerous new design possibilities for structural components in cars. These advanced materials are not only light in weight, but also stiff, strong and durable. The future lightweight materials will be used in the automobile industry. Now, carbon fiber is very expensive, but the automobile industry has been developing affordable carbon fiber, so the future cars will be lighter. Fiber reinforced composites are now being used to make structural and nonstructural components such as seat structures, bumpers, hoods, and fuel tanks.