Aluminum Suppliers Link with USCAR
Ward's AutoWorld, Jul 1, 1999 12:00 PM

The June announcement of an official alliance between the Aluminum Assn. and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) may be the clearest signal to date of the major role aluminum will play in the design of the auto industry/government sponsored Partnership for a New Generation Vehicle (PNGV) prototype due in 2004.

The initiative, called the "Auto Aluminum Alliance" will fall under the banner of the U.S. Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP) research consortium of USCAR. It will explore ways to cut the cost of using aluminum sheet in automobiles; reduce manufacturing costs and improve mass reduction potential, dimensional quality and structural integrity of tailor-welded blanks; and seek cost-effective methods of recovering aluminum from scrapped vehicles.

It also will develop standardized test methods for evaluation of aluminum sheet properties and performance data for product design, modeling and quality assurance. And it will establish an automotive aluminum repair advisory body to develop and disseminate information on repair techniques.

The move also should make aluminum producers more competitive with their steel-producing counterparts. Steelmakers have been working with automakers on joint research efforts since 1987, when the Auto/Steel Partnership was formed.

Funding for the new Auto Aluminum Alliance will come from the USAMP budget and from the Aluminum Assn.

USAMP Chairman John Fillion says that although his organization remains "materials neutral," he expects aluminum to play a key role in development of a PNGV prototype, targeted to be a competitively priced midsize car that achieves 80 mpg (2.9L/100 km).

The goal will be to find ways to reduce the high cost of aluminum, roughly twice that of steel in general, Mr. Fillion estimates. - Dave Zoia