[automotive Industry Expo] Research and development trend of aluminum alloy sheet and application technology for automobile

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At the 2021 China Industry Expo New Materials Forum and China Automotive New Materials Application Summit Forum held by SMM, Liu Zhenshan, director of Chinalco material Application Research Institute, shared the research progress of automotive aluminum sheet materials and application technology.

The significance of automobile lightweight

The significance of automobile lightweight is mainly divided into the following aspects:

1. Reduce energy consumption and save limited energy. 10% lightweight can reduce fuel consumption by 6% and 8%.

two。 Reduce environmental pollution (carbon emissions). New energy vehicles can reduce CO2 emissions and prevent global warming. According to data research, the carbon emissions of electric vehicles driving one kilometer are 70% less than those of current gasoline vehicles. In addition, new energy vehicles can also save limited oil resources.

3. Improve driving performance.

4. Enhance security performance.

Selection of lightweight materials for automobiles

The significance of choosing Aluminum Alloy

Aluminum alloy is an ideal lightweight material, aluminum is the first resource in the earth, and there is plenty of supply. Secondly, aluminum alloy is easier to form and easier to operate in stamping, extrusion, casting and forging. And the safety of aluminum alloy is higher, and the energy absorption capacity of aluminum alloy of the same weight is twice as much as that of steel, which can better protect people in collision. Because of the excellent corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy, it also has the advantage of more durable in use. In addition, aluminum alloy is easier to recycle, saving 95% of the energy needed for primary aluminum production and reducing carbon emissions by 90%.

Application example of Aluminum Alloy in Automobile

Take the Ford F150 as an example, which went into production in 2014 and has an annual production capacity of 850000 vehicles in 2016.

In the use of aluminum alloy, the parts are mainly plate, and the extruded parts and castings are relatively few. The cockpit floor, front circumference and door inner panel are made of 5000 series aluminum alloy. The cockpit, beam and A-column under high pressure are made of 6000 series aluminum alloy with high strength. The connection techniques include bonding, spot welding, riveting and screw fixation.

At present, some models in China already use aluminum plates on their bodies. From a brand point of view:

Shanghai GM: Buick Regal, LaCrosse, land business class GL8 business vehicle, New Yinglong, Cadillac CT6.

FAW-Volkswagen: door, hood, rear cover of A4, A6, Q3, Q5, etc.

SAIC: Roewe 950s, Great Wall VV7 doors, bonnets, etc.

And Jaguar Land Rover's Jaguar XFL has realized an all-aluminum car.

Measures for lightening Electric vehicles

The lightweight of electric vehicles requires the joint development of aluminum companies, battery companies and automobile companies.

The lightweight of the car body is shown in the optimization of structure and aluminization of aluminum alloy parts. The lightweight performance of the battery is the optimization of aluminum shell and the optimization of current collector aluminum foil. The lightweight of battery carrier is shown in structure optimization and aluminization. The lightweight of the motor is shown in the aluminization of the shell and the aluminization of the coil. The lightweight of the control system is shown in aluminization. The lightweight of the wire is used in aluminum instead of copper.

Aluminum companies, battery companies and car companies have jointly developed high-quality aluminum foil and aluminum plates to lighten the weight of the car body. Among them, Nissan LEAF has been on sale since December 2010. the front cover and doors are all made of aluminum. It sold 50, 000 units in 2010 and 200000 in 2012. The flexible packaging lithium-ion battery also uses aluminum foil and the shell uses aluminum plate.

Take the new energy electric vehicle Tesla Model S as an example, which adopts aluminum alloy integrated chassis and frame structure. The chassis is composed of aluminum alloy stamping parts, 8 castings and extruded parts by bonding, riveting and welding. The frame structure is made of aluminum alloy extruded material, plate and casting. In addition, there are Tesla MODLE3 & Y, Xilai es8, ideal ONE, BAIC New Energy ARCFOX, Geely TX5 and Xiaopeng Automobile P7 for high-end aluminum alloy plate applications of China New Energy vehicles.

The latest Progress in the Research and Development of Aluminum Alloy Automobile sheet Materials

At present, Chinalco Group has two specialized aluminum alloy body plate production lines in Fuzhou and Chongqing, and the 5-series and 6-series car plates have a production capacity of 150000 tons per year. In Chongqing has profile auto parts production capacity (wide thin-walled aluminum profiles, supporting CNC, deep processing). Has the assembly capacity of auto parts in Hangzhou.

All-round technical support based on "material + Application" solution

In terms of product design support, provide product design solutions that meet the requirements of performance, lightweight and cost. Provides a basic performance and application performance database. Provide suggestions and plans for material selection. Provide cost analysis and optimization support. Optimization design of parts and vehicle structure. Stiffness, mode, collision performance analysis. To carry out the forming, connection and surface Synchronize project. Collaborative development and application of advanced technology solutions.

Product development support, forming, connection, surface application technical support, to provide rapid trial production services. Collaborative design of stamping die and extrusion die. Technical scheme design of welding, riveting and bonding. Optimal design of painting and anticorrosion treatment. Rapid trial production of stamping and bending samples at low cost. It has a rapid trial production platform for assembly sample cars. Evaluation, analysis and optimization of service performance of parts. Matching material supply and parts manufacturing.

In terms of mass production support, provide technical support for continuous improvement of product quality and cost reduction. Grid strain analysis, springback scanning support. Analysis of material properties and process robustness. Improve the quality of forming, joining and painting. The utilization rate of materials has been improved. The qualified rate of products has been improved. Optimization of material supply chain. Production and manufacturing optimization.