Posted on 07/27/2012 2:33:00 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
Edited on 07/27/2012 2:39:50 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
ALLEN PARK, Mich.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Lots of specialty alloys to combat that problem
Agreed.Aluminum can be much cheaper as well as being lighter when you are talking about casting. Body parts are going to be another story. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them use more plastic and some aluminum, but not all aluminum
They will take the tail gate. They are already made to come off. Very easy if someone leaves it unlocked.
At Northwest Airlines we received a used 747 cargo version bought from an Asian cargo carrier, ergo, lots of ocean side airports.
It was scheduled for a light check at MSP which soon went into a heavy check and subsequently into a major check.
Over 6,000 write ups on that one plane, which of course, NWA management thought was a work action.
Fasteners along the keel beam had exfoliation (how aluminum corrodes) higher than the fastener heads.
The other aspect of the truck is if the cab is aluminum and the frame still steel, isolation of the dissimilar metals will have to be addressed due electrolytic corrosion. These two metals have different electrical properties causing current flow between them when touching, hence the corrosion.
The windstar is another one that will rust to pieces and major parts will fall off.. Like rusted sub frames that allow the control arms to separate from the van or rear axles that rust out from the inside out and can kill ya..
The taurus had the same type of problems with subframes fall out due to rust and broken springs again due to rust..
Good luck to um. Buy the time I get around to buying one of this marvels they will have been well tested. I don’t by anything with less than 250K on it. My current van(s) will be turning 300K in 1-5 months.
Both are pre-bail out Chevy’s.
If they want to make a rustless car, why not stainless steel?
Weight and cost. This isn’t about rust prevention, it’s about weight reduction to meet fuel economy
I believe the OBAMA CAFE standard for cars and light trucks in 2025 is 54.5 mpg. There are almost NO vehicles today that can meet that standard. I think the Prius does but if you are over 5”5” tall, forget it.
The Volkswagen diesels are very close to 54.5 MPG but to meet the “average” it’s going to have to be close to 100 MPG to balance with the pickups.
As much as I hate the Prius, Ford stuck me in one while they waited for parts for my Windstar during the recall. It was slow as snot but my 6 foot body fit in it just fine.
I’ll have to take your word for it. Rovers don’t seem to last long up here in the rust belt. (I don’t know why.. traded and sent some place else?) Sometimes you see one that is a year or two old, but never much older than that.
“painting Aluminum is going to be an issue.”
The least of their worries.
Auto makers have been painting aluminum for decades. Ever see a Miata hood with bad paint? Even Dodge has used aluminum hoods on their trucks for the last 4 or 5 years without a problem.
Biggest bitch I have with aluminum body panels is that they dent SO easy. We had a hail storm once that didn’t do a thing to the steel parts of my vehicles, but dented the hell out of one of the hoods- which was aluminum.
I wish the damned Govt. would stay out of our business.
There is no such thing as “just” aluminum (unless you’re extracting ore) it is all alloy of differing concoctions. Even your beer can is an alloy specifically chosen for that lone purpose. I work in aluminum die casting, we use three different alloys for different parts according to the application and customer demands. There is no pure aluminum.
but it’ll only last 5 or 6 years...
More expensive per pound, cheaper by volume
Salt is not deadly to aluminum. In the air or in the sea. Galvanic action with other metals however can be deadly. But aluminum will oxides rapidly in any environment and the resultant aluminum oxide layer will protect the aluminum from further corrosion in metal free environments with ph between about 4.5 to 8.5. Salt or no salt. Water or no water.
I quite agree. But alloy metallurgy is so ridiculously complicated I can’t do more than opine that there might be something that aluminum could be doped with to make it much better for vehicular use.
Just wondering, have you seen any transparent aluminum? I am so hoping that somebody can figure out a way to mass produce it.
http://phys.org/news167925273.html
I remember the order coming down during Lam Sahn 719 for
tankers to be inside the tanks.Those rpg’s would do a number
On ‘em.Saw many with the top of the hull flapping when they
were being retreived
They also ordered everyone to wear flak jackets and pots
Just wondering, have you seen any transparent aluminum? I am so hoping that somebody can figure out a way to mass produce it.
If someone can figure a function that it cheaply fits, it will catch on in manufacturing. If not , it will just be a cool afterthought.It will have to fit a practical use and be cheap to manufacture to be of any use
Do they even think they make an aluminum that is as tough as steel? <<<
of course they do!!...it’s just 4 inches thicker and has to weigh as much!
Sky King was the man... the father of Penny. He flew the plane and triumphed over the bad guys.
LLS
hell....if that's all it's about..make ‘em out of paper....in a good headwind they may get off the ground if designed right...
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