Photo courtesy of General Motors
Source: Forbes
Aluminum and high-strength steel aren’t the only metals GM is exploring, as the automaker is also using magnesium in vehicle construction. Magnesium is one of the lightest of all metals – 33 percent lighter than aluminum – boasting both strength and resistance to corrosion. For vehicles, it is important to ensure that the materials being used are strong and resistant to corrosion. However, with the exception of magnesium, most metals are known to corrode. However, that’s why a lot of car manufacturers seem to be making use of electroplating, getting their supplies from companies similar to Rexplating. This ensures that the metal will be stronger and will have much less chance of corroding over time. However, people do choose to use aluminum for their DIY projects though, largely because it is such a strong and reliable metal. There’s a lot more information on websites like aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk if you are interested. But magnesium is easy to cast and machine, and its lower working temperatures extend the life of the equipment used to produce the parts. Unfortunately, magnesium has a lower melting temperature than most other metals and it isn’t particularly strong (compared to steel), which does limit some of its applications. Nevertheless, it is an excellent structural material for large castings and specific parts, and can be treated via medium blasting for ease of paint application. Powder Coating Plus Los Angeles media blasting services is one of the companies experimenting with this procedure; as of now they do not work with GM, but their results tend to be very impressive, and they serve as an example of the medium. GM is currently experimenting with magnesium panels for doors and trunks (the automaker has developed corrosion-resistant coatings to ensure its magnesium sheet metal lasts the life of the vehicle).
Carbon-fiber is one of the most promising lightweight automotive construction materials. Five times as strong as steel, twice as stiff, yet only a fraction of the weight, the non-metallic substance may be woven, formed, and molded into nearly any shape. Carbon-fiber is extremely strong and highly resistant to corrosion, yet it is not as heat resistant as most metals (primarily because of the resin that holds the fibers together). Racing teams and aircraft manufacturers have been praising the benefits of carbon-fiber for decades, but the material was always deemed too expensive for mass produced vehicles. Not anymore, as GM is working on a carbon-fiber wheel program that promises to drop vehicle weight by upwards of 40 pounds – wheel weight is considered “rotating and unsprung mass,” meaning every ounce shed makes a big improvement in efficiency and driving dynamics.
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Photo courtesy of General Motors
GM’s Lightweighting program is a long-term commitment to reducing the weight of passenger cars and light trucks – it isn’t something that occurs overnight – that will benefit consumers with improved fuel economy and a better ride, the automaker with reduced and simplified manufacturing, and the environment with reduced emissions and streamlined recycling. It’s a win for everyone.
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