Towards recyclable cars
Faced with an uncertain future, we are looking to develop strategies for wiser, more sustainable use of our limited resources, be they energy, materials, etc. This involves all aspects of our lives. Europe, for example, is pushing its Member States to come to terms with the growing number of used cars past their prime, referred to as End-of-Life Vehicles or ELVs, through Directive 2000/53/EC. In an effort to improve the recyclability of automobiles, new manufacturing techniques and materials are being investigated. The RHEO-LIGHT project created automotive parts using a semi-solid casting method called New Rheocasting (NRC). The parts were made from aluminum and other advanced alloys supplied by a member of the RHEO-LIGHT consortium. Parts with challenging geometry, such as suspension triangles and brake callipers, were selected. The parts were cast using a number of different alloys and subsequently tested to determine which combination produced the highest level of quality. The results were encouraging and have been well received by the industrial partners involved in the project. It should be mentioned that aerospace components were also cast with a good deal of success. The advanced material properties attained with the new casting technique will contribute to better resource management in view of the entire lifecycle of the end product (e.g. an automobile).
