Two of the four new forged aluminum wheels from Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products have higher maximum per-wheel loads than comparable steel wheels. The four wheels, which are up to 44 percent lighter than their steel equivalents, were developed to support the move to higher-load-capacity tires in commercial trucks and trailers facing stricter carbon emission regulations.
Alcoa introduced the wheels at the 64th International Motor Show Commercial Vehicles conference in Hannover, Germany. The two wheels that beat comparable steel wheels' maximum load capacity are an improved version of an Alcoa global trailer wheel and the first aluminum 45mm offset trailer wheel for inloader trailers.
This Alcoa 45mm aluminum wheel for offset trailers is 37 percent lighter than a steel equivalent and has a maximum load per wheel of 5,000kg. (Source: Alcoa)
The improved global trailer wheel has a maximum load of 5,500kg per wheel -- almost 6 percent more than the previous Alcoa model -- but is 2.1kg lighter. It's also 22.8kg lighter than a steel wheel of comparable size. The aluminum 45mm offset trailer wheel for inloader trailers is 37 percent lighter than its steel equivalent and has a maximum load of 5,000kg per wheel. Inloaders transport concrete parts and architectural glass plates.
Alcoa's other two new wheels are the 135 FrontRunner and an 80mm offset trailer wheel. The 135 FrontRunner is a 135mm offset truck wheel with a maximum load of 5,000kg per wheel. It can be used on the front axles of Scania, DAF, and Inveco trucks and are 44 percent lighter than steel wheels of equivalent size. The 80mm offset trailer wheel has a maximum load of 4,500kg per wheel. It's designed for use with SAF Holland's new lightweight SAF 80 One axle.
A peer-reviewed lifecycle assessment study concluded that Alcoa's forged aluminum wheels would cut the carbon footprint of commercial vehicles in North America and Europe. In North America, replacing 18 conventional steel truck wheels with Alcoa aluminum wheels would cut carbon emissions by 16.3 metric tons over the wheels' lifetime. In Europe, replacing 12 steel wheels with aluminum ones would cut carbon emissions by 13.3 metric tons.
The study, conducted by PE International Inc. and Five Winds Strategic Consulting, analyzed the cradle-to-grave production process of commercial vehicle wheels, from the mining of bauxite through wheel manufacturing and service to its end-of-life phases, including recycling and disposal in landfills. Alcoa provided primary data for aluminum wheel production at five of its facilities. PE International provided upstream data on fuels, raw materials, and manufacturing processes, including primary metals and chemicals. According to Alcoa, the study is the most comprehensive and transparent comparative LCA on aluminum and steel truck wheels.
We've reported on the use of aluminum as a lightweight alternative to steel for everything from pistons for automotive diesel engines to brake rotors. BMW has adopted Federal-Mogul's aluminum piston for use in its M550d xDrive sedan. The piston meets the strength and thermal performance requirements of newer, very high-power diesel engines without the risks associated with steel, such as engine oil cracking and carbon deposit formation.
A prototype aluminum composite brake rotor developed by the metal matrix composite maker REL could last three times as long as cast-iron rotors and weigh 60 percent less. It may also be cheap enough for use in high-volume automotive manufacturing. REL and co-developers at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University say the rotor's weight reduction will cut about 30 pounds overall from the average midsized sedan.
Here's a brief article, of uncertain provenance, that says "Most original equipment aluminum wheels are clear coated for corrosion resistance." http://autos.yahoo.com/maintain/repairqa/vehicle_exterior/ques129_0.html Here's a reference that looks more trustworthy: http://www.detailsupplyoutlet.com/pdf_files/tips.pdf It says "Most aftermarket wheels are made of aluminum alloy, whether they are polished, chromed, painted, cleared or powder coated & cleared." A brief discussion follows of various finishes. From the context, it appears that clear-coating is not universal.
@Charles Murray: There's no question aluminum wheels are more expensive than steel wheels. If they were cheaper, do you think Alcoa would go to the trouble of paying for a study to show how environmentally friendly they are?
Thanks, Dave. That makes sense. Now i have one more question: If we're essentially beefing up strength by using a thicker section, what does this do to the cost?
@William K.: I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that most OEM aluminum wheels have at least a clear chromate conversion coating on them. This will not actually prevent corrosion, but the wheel would corrode a lot faster if it didn't have it.
Many aluminum wheels have multiple layers of coating: chromate, primer, silver topcoat, and clearcoat. They may look like bare aluminum, but they're not.
Ann, for many years steel wheels were painted inside and outside because that was the cheapest possible way to make them look good for a while. They would rust when the paint was scratched off, but there were very seldom any leaks due to corrosion.
Today I had to take the new tire on it's rim back to Belle Tire as it had gone flat overnight. The problem was that they had not properly cleaned and sealed the rim on the aluminum wheel. So the problem is alive and well today.
So it sounds like the available coatings are not being applied by automotive OEMs. Considering how long the salt problem has been going on, and how well publicized it's been, you'da thunk by now it would be common--and cheaper.
Ann, my guess is that any coating at all will add to the cost and therefore not be added tp OEM wheels on passenger cars. But some fancy appearance treatment would probably be added if it was not too expensive. I have not seen any originally applied coating on Chrysler product aluminum rims since they have been making them, which is quite a few years. It seems that the management does not accept that corrosion exists. Of course, for Chrysler upper management, vehicle problems don't exist. Cars serviced daily seldom suffer problems.
I tend to think that quality consists of remaining able to meet the service specifications of a product, while it seems that to many others quality equates to the number of features. "What we have here is a failure to commu8nicate", it seems. Unfortunately the marketing wonks all seem to follow those who seek features, regardless of how useless they are.
Mydesign, I'm not sure I understand your question. There was no discussion of changing either the number of wheels or trailer dimensions. The point of the aluminum vs steel wheels, as we state in the article, is that they both weigh less and are strong enough to support tires that can bear heavier loads. This is all part of CAFE-type regulations for commercial vehicles for lowering carbon emissions. Does that answer your question?
@Ann: Looking forward to seeing your new article. Replacing chromate conversion coatings with less environmentally-harmful alternatives is a topic that is very important to me.
We are currently transitioning from a traditional chromate to Alodine EC² to protect aluminum die castings from corrosion. It's a great coating, but, like everything, it has some limitations. One of the biggest is that, since it's an electrodeposited coating, it's very difficult to coat internal passages.
I've often thought that an LCA comparing the environmental impacts of chromate vs. EC² would be interesting. Chromating creates a hazardous waste stream -- but the large amounts of electricity required to apply electrodeposited coatings like EC² don't come without environmental costs, either. It would be interesting to see how they balance out.
(By the way, now that you mention it, Alcoa's LCA for the aluminum wheels doesn't include the environmental impacts of the chromating process, either).
William, funny you should ask that question. I just filed an article--it should publish soon--on a new non-toxic substance for preventing salt corrosion on wrought aluminum–zinc–magnesium–copper AA7000 alloys commonly used in aerospace and automotive apps. Inorganic and organic corrosion inhibitors already exist, but they tend to be either toxic or potentially toxic. Stay tuned.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
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