Primer on Automotive Lightweighting Technologies

Raghu Echempati

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781351123969
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Aluminum is increasingly replacing steel in automotive applications due to its superior strength-to-weight ratio, equal or better stiffness and toughness properties, durability, and manufacturability considerations. Primer on Automotive Lightweighting Technologies introduces basic ideas and principles of designing and engineering automotive components with aluminum. Topics include application of the knowledge to understand how automotive body and structures are designed, as well as other major and smaller automotive components, such as engine blocks and their components, chassis systems, and wheels.

Features

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• Discusses material considerations in engineering design

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• Describes mechanical and physical properties of aluminum

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• Covers manufacturing methods and automotive and industrial applications of aluminum products

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• Offers information on design for functional performance and cost optimization

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• Includes coverage of extruded and rolled products and car body structure

This practical book is aimed at professionals in the fields of materials and mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, and metals and alloys, as well as advanced students and researchers.

1

Engineering Design with Aluminum

1.1 Introduction

Engineering is purposeful and practical ingenuity employed in the service of mankind. Design is an iterative decision-making process of creation and optimization to completely and unambiguously fulfill some human need. Design is a sociotechnical activity that is open-ended; not a subject or coursework. Design projects can be tackled in many different ways and can vary depending on group dynamics, project goals, and existing content knowledge. The design task requires motivation and persistence that are shared by the individuals in the design team.

The engineering design process is the application of the design process in the field of engineering that enables management policies to be realized as products; the core of any manufacturing enterprise. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) defines engineering design as the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. Any engineering design project has the primary objective to fulfill some identified human need. However, an important consideration is the regard for the resource conservation and environmental impact. The engineering design process is often iterative where basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources to meet the stated objective. The stated objective is one of the fundamental elements of the design process along with constraints, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing, and evaluation. Case studies in engineering design play a vital role in learning the design process from socioeconomic and safety perspectives. In addition to case studies, simulation of the design stimulates engineers to model more complex but realistic environments. Good facilities provide incentives for creative thinking, team activity, decision making, optimization, and presentation using engineering communication skills. The design process is not restricted to the engineering discipline; however, engineering design requires the realization of engineering products and thus requires an engineering background. A common flowchart for the design process can be found in the literature, such as given in reference [1] and it consists of identifying and defining the problem, doing a literature search to see if the problem is already addressed all the way to develop conceptual designs, performing analysis, building the device, and testing.

1.2 Design Methodology

Design methodology generally refers to the development of a system or method for a unique situation. A realistic design methodology should define global objectives and choices in a concrete way. For example, the “waterfall model” identifies specific phases such as design, implementation, realization, testing, production, and maintenance. In addition to traditional methods (such as the waterfall method), engineering design methodology also uses other methods, such as statistical and artificial intelligence methods, to design products and ideas. References [1 – 4] discuss more details about this topic.

The engineering design process has four distinct phases:

1. Clarify the problem
2. Develop concepts
3. Embody design
4. Detailed design

1.2.1 Phase 1: Clarify the Problem

In order to clarify the problem, research is needed on the topics of interest relevant to the design problem as well as the customer/human needs. A common customer need process flowchart can be found in reference [3] and it mainly consists of data collection and analysis.

The first step in identifying customer needs is to define the scope. Defining the scope involves a description of the product being designed, the business goals (e.g., a product introduced in the summer of 2020, 50% gross margin, etc.), the primary and secondary markets, and the stakeholders (creditors, directors, employees, owners, suppliers, unions, etc.). Stakeholders are individuals who have an interest or concern in an organization.

The next step in the process is to gather data about the problem that the design team is trying to solve. The data can be acquired from the following:

• Information from customers or customer interviews
• Research and development (R&D) department
• Focus groups
• Competitors
• Ethnographic discovery (searching for user patterns and habits)
• Trade shows
• Employees or salespeople

Once the relevant information is gathered from the sources mentioned above, interpreting the data is the next step. Oftentimes interpreting the data can be difficult; however, organizing the gathered data into need statements is a useful tactic. The objective of a need statement table is to use the gathered data to determine what attributes or design considerations should be taken into account for the new product. See an example of a need statement in Table 1.1 shown below. https:/​/​slideplayer.com/​slide/​10129906/​

TABLE 1.1 Need Statement (Adapted from Reference [3])

		WRONG	CORRECT
Guideline	Customer Statement	Need Statement	Need Statement
Start with “What?”, rather than “How?”	“Why don’t they put a clamp at the end of the outlet hose?”	The outlet hose has a clamp to connect to a water pipe	The water filter easily transfers water into a variety of different containers
Specificity	“Oftentimes I drop the water filter on the floor”	The water filter is robust and rugged	The water filter operates normally after a few accidental droppings
Be positive, not negative	“The water filter is difficult to hold”	The water filter is not difficult to hold	The water filter is made for easy handling
Product attribute	“I need to attach a virus filter to the water filter”	A virus filter can be attached to the water filter	The water filter accommodates a virus filter
Avoid using “must” and “should”	“The water should taste good”	The water filter should deliver good tasting water	The water filter delivers good tasting water

The next step is to organize the needs identified after interpreting the data the team has gathered. Two common methods of organizing the needs are by using the Hierarchical Method or the Kano Method. The hierarchical method organizes the new product needs into primary needs, secondary needs, and tertiary needs. It is up to the team to decide which identified needs fall into what category. The Kano method, shown in Figure 1.1, classifies needs into dissatisfiers, satisfiers, and delighters. Dissastisfiers are prod...