Datum - Rheinmetall Automotive · Rheinmetall Automotive



September 15, 2015

KS HUAYU AluTech

Losing weight: chassis and structural parts in aluminum make for lighter vehicles

In recent years, features for enhanced comfort and safety have raised average vehicle weight and so have hybrid drives and the heavy batteries needed for electric cars. In demand for offsetting this extra burden are extremely light components in aluminum which address the trend to lightweight engineering. KS HUAYU AluTech GmbH (previously, KS Aluminium-Technologie GmbH) has repeatedly expanded its product portfolio over the past years by producing aluminum castings for vehicle chassis and body parts. Lighter parts lower the weight of the vehicle and its fuel consumption and are hence a decisive factor in reducing CO2 emissions.

Three series-production contracts have already been won for aluminum die castings to be manufactured at plants in Germany and China. In China, a component is being built for three series of a German OEM and, starting from mid-2015, the part will also go into series production for a range of vehicles built in Germany. A manufacturer in the USA has commissioned two aluminum die-cast components. Further contracts have been awarded in Germany for a rear axle subframe to be produced as a low-pressure casting.

Scoring points not just on the weighing machine

Structural and chassis components in aluminum deliver not only weight-saving benefits but also advantages in the manufacturing process itself; another benefit is their integration capability. A suspension strut tower as an aluminum die casting can be produced in a single step. The steel version, in contrast, comprises up to 30 individual parts to be welded together.

KS HUAYU AluTech has vast expertise in aluminum engine blocks and such expertise is important in the complex casting processes used in the production of structural and chassis castings. This expertise is being applied in current projects—in the form of die casting and low-pressure sand casting. To this end, the company has developed special tooling strategies so that chassis components extending over a meter in length can be produced with tolerances of less than half a millimeter. Before any casting is done, it is essential to select the right alloy and then, during the pouring process, release the air at a controlled rate to avoid the formation of shrinkage porosity during solidification. Likewise complex are the heat distribution and the downstream controlled solidification processes, which can only be mastered after long years of experience.

The present projects underway reflect the entire development process behind structural and chassis parts cast in aluminum. The stages embrace the development of the alloys, heat treatment and product development via simulation (die filling, solidification, internal stress, deformation and microstructure prediction) right up to the development of the tooling and production processes. The closing links in the chain are machining, materials characterization and finally the testing and qualification of the parts and components.

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KSPG AG

Unternehmenskommunikation · Karl-Schmidt-Straße · 74172 Neckarsulm

Tel. +49 7132 33-3141 · Fax +49 7132 33-3150 · · A Rheinmetall Company

press release

KSPG AG

Unternehmenskommunikation · Karl-Schmidt-Straße · 74172 Neckarsulm

Tel. +49 7132 33-3141 · Fax +49 7132 33-3150 · · A Rheinmetall Company

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