1. Materials Selection for Applications Seminar Alcoa Technical Center
Aluminum Alloys for Industrial Applications - Focus on Ground Transportation
Materials Selection for Applications Seminar
Eastern Virginia ASM
2005 April 21
R. E. Sanders, Jr.
Alcoa Technical Center
Alcoa Center, PA
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2. Outline Current aluminum applications The case for aluminum
Automotive
Trucks, trailers, and tankers
The case for aluminum
Payload and economics
Maintenance and appearance
Longer life
Safety and highway damage
Materials development
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3. Aluminum Shipments by Major Market (2002 A. A. Statistical Review)
United States and Canada
Major Market
Product Form
Transportation
32.2%
Building &
Construction
14.8%
Ingot
33.4%
Extrusion
& Tube
16.5%
Other
5.2%
Sheet, Plate & Foil
44.8%
Exports
10.1%
Other
8.5%
Electrical
6.4%
Containers
& Packaging
21.3%
Consumer
Durables
6.8%
10,536 M tonnes (23.6 billion lbs)
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4. 2002 –Usage of Aluminum in North American Ground Transportation
Trailers & Semis 492*
Trucks & Buses 767*
Passenger Cars 5,348*
Total: 2,950 M tonnes (6.6 billion lbs)
*values x 1 million pounds
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5. Aluminum Alloys Wrought alloys – semi-fabricated
Available as sheet, plate, extrusions, forgings
8 major alloy systems: >400 alloys
Cast alloys – net shape
6 major alloy systems: >70 major alloys
How do you pick the alloy and product form?
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6. The Alloy Selection “Puzzle”
Properties and performance vary with product application
Strength may be a large or small piece of the puzzle
Optimizing one aspect of performance may cost us in another area.
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7. About 95% of the Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications Today Have Been Developed by Alcoa
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8. 2xxx Alloy Aerospace Applications
From ATC Slide Library
Fuselage Under Construction -- alloy 2024
Alloys 2x24 Sheet Aircraft
Space Shuttle Fuel Tanks
Alloy 2219, Alloy 2195
Alloy Armor Plate
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9. High-Strength 7xxx Alloys
Alloys 7150, Aircraft (Upper Wings)
Alloys 7175/7050/7085 Forgings
Alloys 7050/ Sports Equipment
Alloys 7150/ Extrusions
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10. Aluminum vs. Steel in Automobiles
Steel was used in Europe and USA for outside of vehicles before 1903
Complex body frames in early 1900s – Al castings
“All-Steel” car body invented and patented in (Edward G. Budd)
Aluminum preferred for auto body panels before (i.e., ductility)
First large sheet metal presses (stamping) gave steel edge after 1920
Renewed interest in Aluminum in 1970s following energy crisis and CAFÉ legislation
Current steel usage in autos still > 50% of vehicle weight
Aluminum usage is currently 130 kg per vehicle
Many different materials have been used for a variety of automotive applications over the years.
* For instance, steel was used for closure panels as early as 1901 and 1903 in Europe and the United States.
* The all-steel car body was invented and patented in 1912 by Edward Budd.
* Steel became the favored body panel material after 1920 after the first stamping presses made production more efficient.
* Magnesium was used in engines to win the Indy 500 in 1921 and is now used for castings and trim. Some are even discussing the possible use of Mg sheet for body panels.
* The world’s first plastic body was developed by Ford in 1941 though this never led to a production car.
* The first use of plastics for car exteriors occurred in the late 1940s when metal parts were coated with vinyls that simulated wood grains.
* Glass-fiber reinforced resins used in boat hulls was adapted by GM in 1952 for the Brooks Boxer then was used later for the Corvette.
* Our favorite material, aluminum, has been used since the dawn of the century.
* Aluminum castings were used for complex body sections in the early 1900s.
* Because of it’s ductility, aluminum was the favored material for body panels until 1920 when the stamping press made steel panels easier to produce.
* Aluminum then faded but was revived in the 1970s following the energy crisis and the establishment of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards by the U.S. Govt.
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11. Cast Aluminum Bodies
Alcoa Builds Aluminum Auto Bodies for the Ford Model T in New Kensington, PA.
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12. Aluminum in Trucking Applications
By 1930’s aluminum was recognized as key weight saving material for trucks
Delivery vehicles
Dump trucks
Tankers
1800 extra kg. per load
2000 extra liters per load
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13. Al Body Delivery Truck – circa 1936
Weight savings vs. steel – 500 kg
25 extra cases of drink per load; payback in 140 trips
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14. Automotive Applications
Windshield Surrounds
Electronic
Components
Wiring
Harness
Body-in-white Structure
Airbag
Canisters
Fasteners,
Stamping Assemblies
Water Pump Housings
Steering Yokes
Closure
Panels
Brake
Pistons/ Calipers
Bumper
Beams
Wheels
Suspension
Components
Heat Exchanger
Components/ Radiators
Drive Shaft Yokes
Step Plates
Cross members
Inner Door Panels
Transmission
Brackets
Knuckles and Control Arms
Engine
Components
Full Frames
Examples of Aluminum Utility & Flexibility
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15. Product Selection Aluminum sheet Extrusions Castings Forgings
Forming critical parts
Flat surfaces
Design for dent resistance and stiffness
Extrusions
Longitudinal stiffeners
Energy Absorption
Ease of assembly
Castings
Part simplicity, low cost
Forgings
High performance finished parts, e.g., wheels
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16. 6xxx Alloy Auto Sheet Applications
Chrysler LHS
Ford Ranger
Nissan Altima
2002 Harley-Davidson
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17. Al space frames use extrusions as energy absorbing structure
Audi A8
Ferrari Modena
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18. Alloy 6061 Forged Wheels Heavy Duty Truck Wheels Motorcycle Wheels
Crane Wheels
Automotive\SUV\Light Truck
Manufacturing operations in
Cleveland, OH
Lebanon, VA
Monterrey, Mexico
Szekesferhervar, Hungary
Naoetsu, Japan (Machining only)
Produced 2.2 million wheels in 2002
Required 200 million pounds of ingot
Wheels currently produced range from 3” to 17.75” wide and from 15” to 25.5” in diameter
Capable of producing net shape surfaces
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19. Huck Chassis fasteners
North American Commercial Vehicles
Extrusions for
skeleton, side posts
Roof sheet
Huck Cab fasteners
Cab doors
Cab structure
Side sheet
Body trim
Huck Chassis fasteners
                                          
Cross members
Frame rails
Floor,
scuff plate,
tread plate
Wheels
Fuel tanks
Huck
fasteners
Bumper
Wiring harness
Wheels
Peterbilt is a Registered Trademark
The Utility Logo is a Registered Trademark of Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.
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20. Advantages of Aluminum
Light weighting saves kg per trailer vs steel
Increased payload (payback is very short) (next slide)
Marginal fuel savings (493 liters/160,000 km)
Better braking and improved safety (lower center of gravity)
Less damage to roads from overloaded trucks
Longer tire life for dump trailers: $400/year for 8-tire trailer
Lower corrosion-related maintenance costs
No need to paint flat beds or dump trucks
Cost to re-paint steel vehicles every five years: $600
No rust when sheet is sheared or scratched
Better appearance over time, easy to clean
Premium attractive appearance
Bright trim, bumpers, fuel tanks, tread plate
Non-sparking
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21. Economics
Payload-limited tractor trailers can increase productivity by increasing payload
The tare weight of heavy vehicles is limited to 36,363 kg (80,000 lbs) in US
Consider:
Incremental cost of Aluminum vs steel (~$3000)
Increased payload revenue results in payback in 0.5 to 2.0 years depending upon mileage
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22. Highway Safety and Road Damage China – 2001-2002
Many truck accidents caused by overloading
119 deaths in Beijing alone, caused by overloaded trucks in
Overloading causes failure of safety critical components: Tires; brakes; wheels; axles
Such failures are usually catastrophic.
Rmb 4 billion in Hebei province was spent in 2001 alone for road damage repairs.
Lightweighting with Al can reduce tendency to overload, improving safety and highway life.
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23. Road Damage from Overloaded Trucks
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24. Material Selection for Truck Parts
Use
Alloy
Key Attributes
Chassis, Trailer Frames
6061-T6 extrusion
Strength, fatigue*
Side Sheets
3004, 5052-H291
Painted, durability
Roof
3003-H1x
Wide width
Fuel Tanks
5052-O
Impact resistance*
Compressed Air
5083, 5754, 5154
Wheels
6061-T6
Fatigue, surface, wear
Cab Sheets
6022, 6111-T4, 5182-O
Formability
Bumpers
6061, 5xxx
Surface, strength
Trim
Various 3xxx, 5xxx
Good surface
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* After welding

25. Dry Van Wall Product Attributes
Alloy 3004 or 5052-H291 Side Sheets
Hard temper for high strength and dent resistance
Painted surface for corrosion durability
Economical to produce
Available in wide range of colors, surfaces, and finishes
Alloy 6061-T6 Extrusions
Moderate strength, good fatigue
Shapes facilitate truck frame manufacture and assembly
Alloy 6061 or 5xxx for Bumpers
High strength for dent resistance
Bright, durable finish after polishing
Alloy 3003-H1x Sheet for Roofs
Moderate strength, Wide width to eliminate seams
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26. Aluminum Tanker Trucks
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27. Aluminum in Tanker trucks
Aluminum tankers used to haul petrol for US armed forces in World War II
Alcoa marketed aluminum tanker trucks for commercial use starting in late 1940’s
Alloy 5454 introduced in early 1950’s to insure good corrosion performance in tanker applications
Aluminum tankers currently carry oil, petrol (gasoline), chemicals, cement, and other dense materials
Currently alloy 5083 (Europe) and 5454 (USA) are most commonly used alloys
Non-sparking nature of aluminum improves safety in crash situation
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28. Economics: Aluminum Tankers
Practically all aluminum tanker trucks are limited by total weight (not by volume)
Lightweighting with Aluminum can haul more volume at same weight – or – haul equal volume at lower weight - typically 10% higher payload for same or less operating cost vs steel design
Value of Aluminum is in reduced number of loads to haul same amount of cargo
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29. Alloy Selection for Tankers
Alloy 5454 (2.7 Mg, 0.6 Mn) – H321 temper
Good combination of strength and formability
Excellent corrosion resistance, even after elevated temperature exposure
Good weldability
Good fatigue resistance after welding
Available as Bulk Transport Sheet (BTS) in various finishes
Mill finish – Consistent uniform surface finish
Specular – Engineered bright finish
Al Bright – ultimate in brightness and image clarity
Alloys 5083 and 5182 – standard alloys used in Europe
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30. Future Directions Improved alloys for automotive applications
Better formability for sheet
Castings which do not require heat treatment (lower cost)
Extrusions for energy absorption
Couple alloy, process development and design
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31. Filiform Corrosion (3 weeks Exposure to Dry Bottom MASTMAASIS per ASTM G85)
And its corrosion performance exceeds the competition
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32. Summary and Conclusions
Economics drives aluminum usage
More payload: Lightweighting with Al pays for itself quickly in weight-limited applications
Reduced maintenance costs due to corrosion
Additional benefits: attractive appearance, safety, reduced damage to highways and infrastructure
Proper selection of Al alloys enables maximum benefits to be realized
High strength where needed
High formability (sheet)
High fatigue performance (forgings)
Parts simplification (extrusions and castings)
Development of new materials is proceeding in combination with design technology
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33. Acknowledgements Alcoa Technical Center Alcoa Asia-Pacific
Shawn Murtha
Ron McClure
Andy Trageser
Greg Bartley
Jotpreet Chahal
Alcoa Asia-Pacific
Michael Swain
Anil Govada
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