Background, aim and scope Climate change is a subject of growing global concern. Based on International Energy Agency (IEA 2004) research, about 19% of the greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion are generated by the transportation sector, and its share is likely to grow. Significant increases in the vehicles fleets are expected in particular in China, India, the Middle East and Latin America. As a result, reducing vehicle fuel consumption is most essential for the future. The reduction of the vehicle weight, the introduction of improved engine technologies, lower air friction, better lubricants, etc. are established methods of improving fuel efficiency, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Continued progress will be required along all these fronts with lightweighting being one of the most promising options for the global transport sector. This paper quantifies greenhouse gas savings realised from light-weighting cars with aluminium based on life cycle assessment methodology. The study uses a pragmatic approach to assess mass reduction by comparing specific examples of components meeting identical performance criteria. The four examples presented in this analysis come from practical applications of aluminium. For each case study, the vehicle manufacturer has supplied the respective masses of the aluminium and the alternative component. Material and methods A full life cycle assessment with regards to greenhouse gas emissions and savings has been carried out for different aluminium applications in cars as compared to the same applications in steel or cast iron. The case studies reference real cases, where aluminium is actually used in series production. The studies are based on a greenhouse gas lifecycle model, which has been developed following the ISO standard 14040 framework. For each component, sensitivity analysis is applied to determine the impact of lifetime driving distance, driving characteristics (impact of air friction) and recycling rate. Results Life cycle results show that in automotive applications, each kilogram of aluminium replacing mild steel, cast iron or high strength steel saves, depending on the specific case (bumper and motor block of a compact car, front hood of a large family car, body-in white of a luxury car), between 13 and 20 kg of greenhouse gas emissions. Discussion The performed sensitivity analysis finds that even with 'worst case' scenarios savings are still significant. Conclusions The results not only demonstrate significant benefits of aluminium with regard to greenhouse gas savings but also show that these are very sensitive to variations of the recycling rate, the life-time driving distance and the driving behaviour.
A transmission electron microscope study of grain boundary precipitation in Al-Zn and Al-Zn~Mg alloys has been conducted with emphasis on the influence of localized boundary structure. Intrinsic grain boundary defects are found to have a significant effect on the precipitation [ sequence in that they assist the emerging precipitates in establishing a low energy habit plane relationship with at least one bordering grain. Under more extreme conditions of unavailable habits or unfavorable intrinsic structures, extrinsic defects dominate the precipitation reaction.
Die komplexe Technik heutiger Kraftfahrzeuge und Antriebsstränge macht einen immer größer werdenden Fundus an Informationen notwendig, um die Funktion und die Arbeitsweise von Komponenten oder Systemen zu verstehen. Den raschen und sicheren Zugriff auf diese Informationen bietet die Reihe ATZ/MTZ-Fachbuch, welche die zum Verständnis erforderlichen Grundlagen, Daten und Erklärungen anschaulich, systematisch, anwendungsorientiert und aktuell zusammenstellt.Die Reihe wendet sich an Ingenieure der Kraftfahrzeugentwicklung und Antriebstechnik sowie Studierende, die Nachschlagebedarf haben und im Zusammenhang Fragestellungen ihres Arbeitsfeldes verstehen müssen und an Professoren und Dozenten an Universitäten und Hochschulen mit Schwerpunkt Fahrzeug-und Antriebstechnik. Sie liefert gleichzeitig das theoretische Rüstzeug für das Verständnis wie auch die Anwendungen, wie sie für Gutachter, Forscher und Entwicklungsingenieure in der Automobil-und Zulieferindustrie sowie bei Dienstleistern benötigt werden.
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