Weight Optimization of Aluminum Alloys Used in Vehicles


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IŞIK Y., Tekin B., Yılmaz A. F., Tatoğlu F., Öztürk D.

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, cilt.7, sa.11, ss.13-21, 2020 (Scopus)

Özet

In today's industry, after steels, the most commonly used metals are aluminum and aluminum alloys. Their lightweight, good thermal and electrical conductivity, increased strength properties, and corrosion resistance makes them important materials for engineers and designers. Especially in recent years, energy-saving studies have led to the production of light and economical vehicles that consume less fuel. Consequently, aluminum alloys have become the material of choice for automobiles, buses, trains, and marine vehicles. An optimization study was conducted via the comparison of the aluminum alloys 5052 H32 and 6060 T4 for parts having two different diameters with holes to reduce the mass. Both strength and cost analyses were carried out for the two alloys with different diameters. When the diameters were compared, increasing the size of the diameter, i.e., reducing the mass, did not change the strength relative to the initial state. It was concluded that, if the price and processing costs of the two alloys were kept the same, the selected part would be made of aluminum 5052 H32 with a diameter of 21 mm.