Development and application of Al−alloys in manufacture of carbody elements

Abstract

During the last decades car industry has been going through an intensive development which integrates the latest achievements in science and technology. Development and usage of new materials for car industry, especially car bodies, has been coordinated with general social demands, saving of economic resources, energy preservation and ecology, passengers safety etc. In order to reduce vehicle weight, i.e. exploit the vehicle more economically, the consumption of light materials in fabrication of passengers cars grown during the last few years. The application of Al-alloys sheet metals, first of all in manufacture of car body elements, is extremely important. Because of reduced formability of Al-alloys sheet metals in comparison to steel sheet metals, many difficulties may occur while using these materials. Decrease of strength, intensive strain localization and sensitivity to tribo-conditions are main limiting factors in application of Al-alloys. This paper gives the characteristics of different Al-alloys with application areas, standard and special formanility parameters and results of laboratory and production investigations when using carbody elements.