【China Aluminum Industry Network】 Aluminum alloy and its processed materials have a series of excellent characteristics, such as low density, high specific strength and specific rigidity, good elasticity, good impact resistance, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, high electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, Easy to surface color, good processability and high recovery and regeneration, etc. Therefore, in the field of engineering, aluminum has always been considered as "opportunity metal" or "hope metal", aluminum industry has been considered "sunrise industry."

In the early days, because of the high price of aluminum, it was excluded from the automobile industry and other related manufacturing industries in the era when gasoline was both sufficient and cheap. However, by 1973, due to the impact of the oil crisis, this view was completely changed. In order to save energy, reduce air pollution from automobile exhaust and protect the deteriorating ozone layer, aluminum alloy materials could quickly enter the automotive sector. The degree of aluminum alloy parts is increasing.

Aluminum alloy materials are used in large quantities in the automotive industry. Regardless of considerations such as automobile manufacturing, automobile operations, and recycling of discarded automobiles, it brings huge economic benefits, and this effect will increase with the increase in car production and social retention. obvious. The effect of the increase in the amount of aluminum alloy materials for automobiles is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

(1) Significant weight loss benefits In order to reduce the weight of the car, one is to improve the structural design of the car, and the other is to use lightweight materials (such as aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, plastics, etc.) to manufacture. So far, the former has not had much room for maneuver, so the auto industry generally focuses on the development and utilization of new high-strength steel or aluminum, magnesium and other alloy materials. In lightweight materials, due to the environmental pollution problem of polymer-based plastic products in recycling, the price and safety of magnesium alloy materials also limit its wide application. Due to the abundant resources of aluminum alloy materials, with the development of the power industry and the improvement of aluminum smelting technology, the output of aluminum will increase rapidly, the cost will decrease accordingly, and the aluminum alloy materials will be both lighter (steel, aluminum, magnesium, The density of plastics are: 7.8,2.7,1.74,1.1-1.2g/cm3) and good formability, weldability, corrosion resistance, easy surface colorability, and the recovery rate of aluminum alloy materials is about 80%. Sixty percent of automotive aluminum alloys come from recycled waste, and it is expected that the recovery rate can be further increased to more than 90% by 2015. In theory, aluminum cars can reduce weight by 30% to 40% compared to steel cars, of which aluminum engines can reduce weight by 30%, aluminum radiators are 20%-40% lighter than copper, and car bodies lose more weight than steel products. More than 40%, automotive aluminum wheels can reduce weight by 30%. Therefore, aluminum alloy material is one of the most ideal materials for automotive lightweighting.

(2) Appreciable energy-saving effects The ways to reduce fuel consumption are generally to improve engine efficiency (from the design start), reduce running resistance, improve the transmission mechanism efficiency and reduce the weight of the car, among which the more effective measure is to reduce the weight of the car. The extensive use of materials in automobiles precisely meets this point.

According to information, the general weight of each car is 1 liter, 1 liter of gasoline can make the car more than 0.011 kilometers, or for every 10,000 kilometers to save 0.7 liters of gasoline, if the amount of aluminum alloy cars for 100 kilograms, then each The car can save 175 liters of gasoline each year. It is estimated that by 2012, the social possession of cars in China will reach 10,000 to 120 million vehicles. By that time, more than 100 billion liters of gasoline will be saved each year, and the energy saving effect will be considerable.

(3) Reducing air pollution and improving environmental quality While reducing vehicle weight, CO2 emissions have also been reduced (50% reduction in vehicle weight and 13% reduction in CO2 emissions). Someone calculated that if the US car weight is reduced by 25%, 750,000 barrels of fuel will be saved every day, and the annual carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 101 million tons. At the same time, the emissions of nitrogen compounds, sulfides, etc. will be reduced accordingly. Therefore, it can greatly reduce environmental pollution and improve the quality of the environment.

(4) It helps to improve the driving performance of the car, passenger comfort and safety.

Reducing the weight of the vehicle can improve the driving performance of the car. The Aluminum Association of America proposed that if the vehicle weight is reduced by 25%, the acceleration time of the vehicle to 60 mph can be reduced from the original 10 seconds to 6 seconds; the use of aluminum alloy wheels makes vibrations. To be smaller, a lighter bounce bumper can be used; since aluminum alloy material is used to reduce the weight of the car without reducing the vehicle's capacity, the weight loss effect is 125%. As a result, the car is more stable, the passenger space becomes larger, and the aluminum alloy structure can absorb and disperse more energy when impacted; therefore, it is more comfortable and safer.

MONEL®