Transportation is second only to the electrical industry in greenhouse gas emissions. From 2006 to 2013, the global car ownership increased at an average rate of 4%, while the growth rate of private car ownership in China was as high as more than 20%. The rapid growth of car ownership has increased environmental pressure. Research shows that about 75% of fuel consumption is related to the quality of the vehicle. In order to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, it is imperative to reduce vehicle weight. Automobile lightweighting does not only refer to the reduction of automobile quality, but also uses modern design methods to optimize the design of automobile products, or uses new materials to minimize the weight of each component while ensuring that the overall quality and performance of the automobile are not affected. quality, and strive to achieve high output power, low noise, low vibration, good maneuverability, high reliability, etc., so as to achieve the purpose of reducing fuel consumption and reducing pollution emissions. According to research, if the vehicle mass is reduced by 10%, fuel efficiency can be increased by 6% to 8%; if rolling resistance is reduced by 10%, fuel efficiency can be increased by 3%; if the transmission efficiency of axles, transmissions and other mechanisms is increased by 10%, Fuel efficiency can be improved by 7%. In absolute terms, every 100kg reduction in vehicle mass can save 0.6L of fuel per 100 kilometers.
Aluminum alloy plays an important role in automobile lightweighting. Cars that use a large amount of aluminum alloy can reduce the mass of each car by 300kg on average (from 1400kg to 1100kg), and the emissions during the life cycle can be reduced by 20%. In addition, lightweighting will also improve vehicle handling stability and collision safety to a certain extent. At present, aluminum alloy has become the most used material in automobile manufacturing after steel and cast iron. Although the cost of aluminum-replacing steel is still slightly higher, aluminum-replacing steel can still help consumers save vehicle costs by reducing vehicle weight and reducing fuel consumption. In the entire vehicle, the components with the largest mass are the power system, chassis system and body. The total mass of these three systems reaches 83% of the vehicle's mass, of which the body mass accounts for 28%. It is predicted that it is economically desirable for the aluminization rate of automotive materials to reach 60%. In recent years, the use of aluminum in automobiles in developed countries has increased significantly. The global average amount of aluminum used in automobiles was only 50kg/vehicle in 1978, and rose to 107kg/vehicle in 2008, an increase of 1.14 times. It is estimated that it will increase to 300kg/vehicle in 10 years. The country can even increase it to 320kg/vehicle. In recent years, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, etc. have all used all-aluminum body structures. Aluminum alloy has become an ideal lightweight material. In addition, aluminum alloys can also be used in bodies, frames, brake discs, engine cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, pistons, intake manifolds, rocker arms, engines, etc. Suspension brackets, air compressor connecting rods, transmission housings, clutch housings, wheels, brake parts, handles and cover housings, etc.
At present, there is a certain gap between the aluminum used in automobiles in the domestic automobile manufacturing industry and that in developed countries. However, as the competition in the automobile manufacturing industry becomes increasingly international and the demand for energy conservation and emission reduction increases, the increase in the amount of aluminum used in automobiles is an inevitable trend. It is predicted that in 10 years, my country's automotive aluminum will increase from the current average of 92kg per vehicle to 220kg. According to the current development trend of my country's automobile industry, the demand for aluminum plates and strips used in my country's automobile industry is expected to reach 550,000 tons to 600,000 tons in recent years. The rapidly growing automotive aluminum sheet market has created excellent opportunities for my country's aluminum processing companies. It is expected that my country's automobile (cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, etc.) production will reach 25 million units in 2020, and the demand for aluminum profiles will reach about 750,000 tons.
