AUTOMAKERS CITE NEW USES FOR ALUMINUM
By Al Wrigley
American Metal Market
July 27, 2000, Detroit, MI – Aluminum suppliers doing business in
the North American automotive market can look forward to another
noteworthy increase in applications for aluminum in 2001 original
equipment components.
Auto industry sources here cited enough new applications for the light
metal as a replacement for cast iron and steel--particularly iron--to
indicate that aluminum will pass plastic as the third-ranking class of
materials in cars, vans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles on a unit
content basis and achieve a 4- to 5-percent gain over the previous
year.
Another double-digit increase on the order of 11 pounds per vehicle
appears likely, taking aluminum to an estimated level of 256 to 257
pounds per vehicle in 2001 from 245.5 pounds in the 2000 models and
235 pounds in 1999. Plastics applications, which also are growing,
should reach 253 pounds in the average 2001 family vehicle compared
with 248.5 pounds in 2000.
Steel and iron are the only materials still ahead of aluminum on the
content scale, and iron interests have a lot to be concerned about in
the competition from aluminum. For 2001, iron chassis and powertrain
components, in particular, will feel the impact of aluminum's success.
Information provided by many auto executives and engineers indicates
that the biggest new applications for aluminum during the new model
run include two new aluminum-head engines; a number of new axle,
wheel, control arm and knuckle applications; a few new driveshafts;
frame components; and body panels. The body applications, which
involve sheet, will include the front fenders and hoods on Ford Motor
Co.'s redesigned four-door Explorer and Mountaineer SUVs.
Also during the 2001 model year, both Ford and General Motors Corp.
will launch production of new aluminum-block/aluminum-head engines,
and although the first applications for those engines probably will be
used initially in 2002 model vehicles, the production use of aluminum in
the new powerplants will start many months before the end of the
2001 model production.
Here are some of the most important new applications of aluminum
cited by auto industry sources:
The cylinder heads, intake manifolds, crankcases, flywheel bell
housing and accessory drive mounting brackets on the new
Duramax 6600 turbo diesel V-8 engines offered by GM in its new
GMC and Chevrolet 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, Crew Cabs and
certain other vehicles. The engines being replaced by the new V-8s
are iron-intensive units.
The cylinder heads, front covers, water pumps, alternator cases
and various brackets on the new 3.7-liter overhead-cam gasoline
V-6 engines built by DaimlerChrysler Corp. for light-duty Jeep and
Dodge trucks. The engines replaced by the new V-6s also employ
iron in several parts that will be replaced by aluminum.
Lost foam-cast chain case covers on DaimlerChrysler's modified
3.3- and 3.8-liter V-6 minivan engines.
Axle housings, crossmembers, control arms and knuckles in the
rear-drive suspension/driveline modules of the all-wheel-drive
models in the new Pontiac Aztek sport recreation vehicle line.
Aluminum cylinder heads, replacing cast iron units, on GM's
6.0-liter Vortec 6000 V-8 truck engines.
Lost foam-cast intake manifolds weighing 37.5 pounds apiece on
GM's new Vortec Series 8100 V-8 engines for trucks.
Front axle and wheel-end modules for all Ford Explorer Sport Trac
models, as well as the rear driveshafts on the two-wheel-drive
units in the Sport Trac line.
Front suspension links on all of the redesigned Dodge Caravan,
Chrysler Voyager and Town & Country minivans.
Double wishbones and knuckles in the short- and long-arm
suspensions in the redesigned Chevy Corvettes. The new
high-power Z06 model in the 'Vette line comes with a modified
version of GM's 5.7-liter aluminum V-8 that uses a new aluminum
"valley cover" in the "V" area at the top.
Deck lids, bumper beams, hoods and standard wheels on the
redesigned Olds Aurora. The new Auroras also will be available
with GM's 3.5L aluminum-block/aluminum-head V-6 engine, and
will use aluminum-intensive suspension systems. If the Auroras are
produced and sold in volumes of more than 40,000 annually, they
will be the North American auto industry's most
aluminum-intensive cars at those output levels. Oldsmobile's
flagship cars will carry an estimated average of more than 480
pounds of aluminum parts per car.
The driveshaft in the all-wheel-drive systems for the Pontiac Aztek
models, linking the power takeoff unit in front to the rear-drive
module.
The lift-glass/tailgates on the GMC Yukon Denali and XL Denali, as
well as the Cadillac Escalade.
Aluminum cases for the front axles of the four-wheel-drive versions
of GM's redesigned Sierra and Silverado 2500 and 3500 pickups.
In addition to these new parts applications, two all-new engine lines
with aluminum blocks, heads, front covers, oil pans, radiators and
other components will be put into production early in 2001 by GM and
Ford, and deserve mention because the first vehicles in which the
engines will be used are expected to be introduced as early 2002
models long before the end of 2001 model year production.
Both engine lines will be built in very high volumes and will have
several models in different displacements. GM's new product line is its
Vortec inline six-, five- and four-cylinder engine family for light-duty
trucks, while Ford's engines will be five- and four-cylinder units for
small cars and trucks. In both cases, the engines will be replacing
iron-intensive V-6s and I-4s.
Also, two transplant automakers, Honda and Toyota, will be expanding
their production of aluminum engines--particularly V-6s--significantly to
meet increasing demand for their vehicles in North America. Along with
these expansion programs, Honda and Toyota will be boosting their
output of U.S.-built transmissions which have aluminum cases, valve
bodies and other parts.
Ford will start turning out more aluminum-block/aluminum-head V-8
engines at its Romeo, Mich., plant in 2001, and both Ford and GM
expect to be boosting their output of aluminum-head truck V-8s
substantially to meet the swelling demand for big pickups, SUVs and
crossover vehicles.
An increase of 11 pounds per vehicle in 2001 would represent an
improvement of about 4.5 percent in the North American auto market
for aluminum casting, extrusion, sheet and forging alloys, making
aluminum the fastest-growing class of major materials in the domestic
auto market.
However, it is believed that the use of new and advanced lightweight
forms of steel--including high-strength, tubular and tailored blanks--will
be growing at least as much as that. The automen look at steel as a
single class of materials, and often do not differentiate between grades
and forms. In general, however, they have been quick to praise both
the aluminum and steel industries for their efforts in the areas of
product development and applications engineering.
This is the second in a five-part series previewing the roles of various
metals in model-year 2001 cars and light-duty trucks. |
