Recent advances in light metals and manufacturing for automotive applications
Alan A. Luo
Abstract
Advanced light metals, including aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys, are increasingly being used in the automotive industry for weight reduction and structural efficiency. This paper provides examples of designing and developing new aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys using CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) modeling and experimental validation. The paper also summarizes some of the latest process innovations in casting and forming processes for light alloys. Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) is defined as the integration of materials information, captured in computational tools, with engineering product performance analysis and manufacturing process simulation. This paper highlights some examples of alloy development and advanced processing of light alloys using CALPHAD and ICME tools and future challenges of light metal research for automotive lightweighting.