Potential for lighter cars thanks to German researchers Car body parts made out of magnesium and not steel could soon be the norm, according to research carried out by scientists at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany. These findings are currently being showcased between 4 and 8 April in the form of a 'glass car' at the Hannove... Car body parts made out of magnesium and not steel could soon be the norm, according to research carried out by scientists at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany. These findings are currently being showcased between 4 and 8 April in the form of a 'glass car' at the Hannover Messe, an annual trade fair for innovative technology. The exhibit shows how a car door made out of magnesium can be around 50 percent lighter than a steel one. The work is the fruit of research carried out by the Fraunhofer AutoMOBILE Production Alliance, the institute's consortium of automobile experts. Car manufacturers must continually strive to meet the demands of customers, and developing lightweight car components which are more economical and cheaper is a key part of this task. The researchers hope that their findings will be used to help meet these demands. The creation of the lightweight magnesium door paves the way for this technology to be used more often in the future. Whereas a steel door weighs approximately 10.7 kg (about 23.5 lbs), a car door made out of magnesium reaches just 4.7 kg (10lbs) on the scales. Sören Scheffler, group manager of the team who developed the door, explains why magnesium was the material of choice. 'Magnesium is available in large quantities worldwide, it can be moulded, and for similar structures - a car door, for instance - it has virtually the same properties as steel. For example, it has a comparable rigidity. We have developed specific moulding technologies for wrought magnesium alloys. This makes the lightweight material available for future use in series production of car bodies.' At the trade fair, the researchers will showcase around 40 new developments which encompass the entire production chain, all the way from the planning stages to the point where the vehicle is complete and painted. 'Our displays focus on the themes of a car's body, power train, interior, vehicle assembly, methodological competence and production research for electromobility,' explains coordinator Lars Koch. As well as the magnesium door, the researchers have been working on a slide-ground tumbled alloy wheel rim. In the process of slide-grinding and tumbling, the wheel rim is moved through a variety of abrasive particles which all move at particular frequencies, starting with coarse particles before gradually being replaced with finer and finer abrasives. Whilst this technology has been around for a long time, little research has gone into finding out which types of particles are stimulated and at what frequencies. Car manufacturing can also be optimised through the use of new joining processes. One of the research teams from Bremen have come up with a gluing process which makes production faster. When gluing on the glass front of a headlight with conventional adhesives, several hours are needed to allow the glue to harden through humidity, so the headlight has to be held in one position throughout this period. The researchers instead used an adhesive that is also heat-hardening by heating it locally using a microwave antenna. Their results showed that within one minute the adhesive had hardened, allowing the assembly process to continue. The Fraunhofer AutoMOBILE Production Alliance is a group of 17 institutes who provide comprehensive and competent research and development support to the German automobile industry. Over several sites, different teams of researchers work on complementary projects with the overall aim of implementing their innovations quickly and sustainably into the production chain. Every year the Hannover Messe is attended by representatives from the world of industrial technology, and this year the focus is on industrial automation, energy technology, power transmission and control, industrial subcontracting and services as well as cutting-edge technologies.For more information, please visit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/ Countries Germany
