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Fuel cell car ahead of schedule
Aluminium use to grow f O%/year in North American cars THE use of aluminium in North American cars is set to rise from today’s figure of 110 kg/vehicle to in excess of 140 kg/vehicle by the year 2000. This is the view of Allen Born, chairman and chief executive officer of Alumax Inc and chairman of The Aluminum Association. Speaking at the intemational ‘Alumitech’97’ conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in May, Born predicted that aluminium usage in the automotive sector would grow about 10% annually through to the end of the decade. Much of this growth will be seen in engine castings, body panels and structural components. Aluminium is also expected to grow in airbag housings, bumpers, brake parts, seat frames and air conditioning assemblies. Fuelling the demand is aluminium’s favourable mix of characteristics lightweight, strength, corrosion resistance, conductivity, durability, long life, ease of fabrication and recyclability. Two US vehicles cited at the conference as demonstrating the move towards aluminium were the Plymouth Prowler and the EVl. Bill Powers, Ford Motor Co’s vice president of research, said the company’s advanced research vehicle program, P2000, was looking to aluminum to meet its goals of reducing the weight of the current Taurus by 40%. “we would not be able to move forward towards the very ambitious goals of P2000 without turning to the use of lightweight materials and aluminium is right at the centre,” Powers said. P2000 will feature an aluminium uni-body design first shown on Ford’s early AIV’s and carried through with its Synergy 2010 concept car. Aluminium’s recyclability was also cited as a major factor in the continued growth
10 MPR June 1997
of the metal in the automotive industry. About 60 to 70% oi aluminium used in today’s vehicles is soured from recycled materials. “The intrinsic value of aluminium is both environmentally responsible and. economically profitable,” said Powers. Powder metallurgy (PM) will also benefit from the expanded use of aluminium with a number of research projects currently looking to exploit these opportunities. mica1 of these is a project at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory in Iowa that was recently awarded a grant for US$415 000 over the next three years. The project aims to develop a low cost method of producing aluminium powder and process it with hard ceramic particles to make high performance metal matrix composites for critical automotive engine, suspension and braking system components. As well as being much lighter in weight than steel, aluminium composites can be made just as strong and crashworthy as steel, according to Ames senior metallurgist Dr Iver Anderson. The drawback is that they cost about four times more than steel and take more energy to produce and manufacture into automobile parts. Consequently, until recently aluminium MMC parts have only been produced in limited numbers and used primarily in the aerospace and aircraft industries. Anderson and his research team, however, already have a key piece of the technological puzzle in place at Ames Lab with the recent development of gas atomization reaction synthesis, a new method for safely making cleaner aluminum powders that can streamline composite processing.
Heat resistant material licensed for high performance pistons A TOUGH carbon-carbon material developed for space is about to make its debut in the automotive market, with its application in high performance pistons for internal combustion engines. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has granted Hitco Technologies of Gardena, California, USA, exclusive rights to make, sell and use carboncarbon pistons for high performance automotive applications and co-exchisive rights for competition racing and small-to-large-bore diesel engines in the USA and certain foreign countries. The company intends to develop and manufacture the pistons at its factory in Gardena. Carbon-carbon pistons offer significant weight savings and improved thermal performance compared with their aluminum and steel counterparts, as well as improving performance and reducing emissions. The material was originally developed in the 1960s as a high strength heat shield material for strategic missile applications. Today, it s widely used for brakes in drcraft, clutches in Formula 1ne and Indy race cars, and for
military and aerospace applications like the nose cap of the Space Shuttle. Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Centre, Hampton, Virginia, have successfully tested prototype pistons in various size gasoline engines and have patented a number of concepts relating to carbon-carbon pistons for internal combustion engines. They have found that carboncarbon composite maintain its strength and stiffness at operating temperatures well above 1370°C and has nearly zero thermal expansion. Pistons used in high performance internal combustion engines usually are typically made of an aluminium alloy. The strength and stiffness of aluminum alloys decrease rapidly as material temperatures rise above 175°C. Aluminium alloys also expands significantly with heat. Langley’s Technology Applications Group is seeking additional licensing partners for carbon-carbon piston technology, as well as for related technologies for cylinder liners, exhaust manifolds, engine valves, turbo-charger housings and rotary engine components.
Fuel cell car ahead of schedule 3AIMLEX Benz AG is running well ahead of schedule in develaping its fuel cell car, according ;o chairman Juergen Schrempp. Vollowlng excellent progress in ;he development programme, 3chrempp says the first allwheel drive, fuel cell car in the world will be ready to roll withn two years. Unlike electric cars ;hat rely on batteries, the Daimer fuel cell cars will produce ;heir own energy on board by :onverting methanol into hylrogen which is then mixed
with oxygen to produce energy. The process produces very little exhaust other than a small amount of water and none of the noise that internal combustion engines make. In the past Daimler has fitted out prototype vans with the technology, but now says it is ready to equip an ordinary car. Schrempp says Daimler will show one of its new AClass cars with a fuel cell power plant in October 1997 at the Tokyo Motor Show.
10 MPR June 1997
of the metal in the automotive industry. About 60 to 70% oi aluminium used in today’s vehicles is soured from recycled materials. “The intrinsic value of aluminium is both environmentally responsible and. economically profitable,” said Powers. Powder metallurgy (PM) will also benefit from the expanded use of aluminium with a number of research projects currently looking to exploit these opportunities. mica1 of these is a project at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory in Iowa that was recently awarded a grant for US$415 000 over the next three years. The project aims to develop a low cost method of producing aluminium powder and process it with hard ceramic particles to make high performance metal matrix composites for critical automotive engine, suspension and braking system components. As well as being much lighter in weight than steel, aluminium composites can be made just as strong and crashworthy as steel, according to Ames senior metallurgist Dr Iver Anderson. The drawback is that they cost about four times more than steel and take more energy to produce and manufacture into automobile parts. Consequently, until recently aluminium MMC parts have only been produced in limited numbers and used primarily in the aerospace and aircraft industries. Anderson and his research team, however, already have a key piece of the technological puzzle in place at Ames Lab with the recent development of gas atomization reaction synthesis, a new method for safely making cleaner aluminum powders that can streamline composite processing.
Heat resistant material licensed for high performance pistons A TOUGH carbon-carbon material developed for space is about to make its debut in the automotive market, with its application in high performance pistons for internal combustion engines. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has granted Hitco Technologies of Gardena, California, USA, exclusive rights to make, sell and use carboncarbon pistons for high performance automotive applications and co-exchisive rights for competition racing and small-to-large-bore diesel engines in the USA and certain foreign countries. The company intends to develop and manufacture the pistons at its factory in Gardena. Carbon-carbon pistons offer significant weight savings and improved thermal performance compared with their aluminum and steel counterparts, as well as improving performance and reducing emissions. The material was originally developed in the 1960s as a high strength heat shield material for strategic missile applications. Today, it s widely used for brakes in drcraft, clutches in Formula 1ne and Indy race cars, and for
military and aerospace applications like the nose cap of the Space Shuttle. Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Centre, Hampton, Virginia, have successfully tested prototype pistons in various size gasoline engines and have patented a number of concepts relating to carbon-carbon pistons for internal combustion engines. They have found that carboncarbon composite maintain its strength and stiffness at operating temperatures well above 1370°C and has nearly zero thermal expansion. Pistons used in high performance internal combustion engines usually are typically made of an aluminium alloy. The strength and stiffness of aluminum alloys decrease rapidly as material temperatures rise above 175°C. Aluminium alloys also expands significantly with heat. Langley’s Technology Applications Group is seeking additional licensing partners for carbon-carbon piston technology, as well as for related technologies for cylinder liners, exhaust manifolds, engine valves, turbo-charger housings and rotary engine components.
Fuel cell car ahead of schedule 3AIMLEX Benz AG is running well ahead of schedule in develaping its fuel cell car, according ;o chairman Juergen Schrempp. Vollowlng excellent progress in ;he development programme, 3chrempp says the first allwheel drive, fuel cell car in the world will be ready to roll withn two years. Unlike electric cars ;hat rely on batteries, the Daimer fuel cell cars will produce ;heir own energy on board by :onverting methanol into hylrogen which is then mixed
with oxygen to produce energy. The process produces very little exhaust other than a small amount of water and none of the noise that internal combustion engines make. In the past Daimler has fitted out prototype vans with the technology, but now says it is ready to equip an ordinary car. Schrempp says Daimler will show one of its new AClass cars with a fuel cell power plant in October 1997 at the Tokyo Motor Show.