Papers by Keyword: Automotive Industry

Abstract: Resistance spot welding (RSW) is still the ideal joining method in the automotive industry. Mostly steel sheets are used in the car body, so overlap and layering are required for welding or riveting, as spot welding provides simultaneous clamping force with interfacial welding to ensure the required strength and quality. A fundamental understanding of heating and cooling rates in thermal distributions is essential for predicting microstructure formation in the weld and the heat-affected zones (HAZ) of RSW joints. The ability to measure the heat cycle in the RSW process can be valuable in weld control and welding parameter optimization. RSW parameters can be optimized through tensile shear tests and microscopic investigations. Heat cycle measurement (HCM) demonstrates the welding consequences in terms of the change in mechanical properties and microstructural formations. The accuracy of cooling rate measurements including t_8/5 cooling time is very important to predict the microstructural evolution in the HAZ, however, the thermocouple measurement raises numerous challenges due to the high temperature gradient and small weld and HAZ size. During our investigations heat cycle measurement has been conducted experimentally by a K-type thermocouple. The data logger is connected to the output of the thermocouple for recording the voltage to measure the temperature distributions as a function of both time and position during the welding process. Measurement results of 1 mm thick martensitic MS1400 steel overlapped RSW joints are discussed, and the HCM curve of heating and cooling rates of the spot-welding process is presented. The heat cycle during RSW was measured with two different welding parameter combinations. In addition to welding current, welding time, and electrode force, pulsation has shown disparate curves. Numerous experiments have been attempted to measure the heat cycle in HAZ sub-zones due to the difficulty of positioning the thermocouple accurately, uppercritical HAZ, intercritical HAZ, and subcritical HAZ were investigated and measured in both welding parameter combinations. Difficulties were encountered in the experimental work as a result of the instantaneous welding time and the vibration resulting from the passage of alternating electrical current between the two electrodes. A magnetic field is generated that affects the thermocouple measurement and appears as a noisy curve that is filtered out and smoothed. Joule heat, interfacial heat generation, and cooling effects of electrodes are also considered in the experiment.

Abstract: The automotive industry faces a significant challenge in meeting the increasing demand for lightweight and eco-friendly vehicles with reduced energy consumption and lower air pollution. This challenge is driven by factors such as consumer preferences, strict government regulations, technological complexities, cost considerations and market acceptance. Aluminium metal matrix composites (AMMCs) are novel materials with high suitability to address this challenge. Currently, AMMCs used in the automotive industry are reinforced with conventional synthetic ceramic particulates and they have shown tremendous improvements over unreinforced alloys. These composites have wear resistance and strengths equivalent to that of cast iron but with about 67% less density. However, synthetic reinforcements are expensive, have limited availability, possess high abrasiveness, cause unwanted reactions, pose recycling difficulties and their production leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. It is now pertinent to consider the use of agricultural waste derivatives as possible substitutes for these conventional reinforcements. In this work, the various agricultural waste derivatives that have been used to reinforce Al matrixes were reviewed and the potentials of the resulting composites as promising candidates for lightweight automotive applications were assessed. It was concluded that agricultural waste derivatives contained hard ceramics particles which improved the mechanical, tribological, thermal and corrosion properties of AMMCs, making agro-waste derivatives reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites promising for the production of novel lightweight automotive components.

Abstract: Metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology is getting more interest and developing continuously in recent years due to its potential to revolutionize production processes in a variety of industries completely. The automotive industry is one of the most important industries where metal AM has shown great potential in the production of complex parts with high precision and shortened lead times. In this paper, current applications, advantages and limitations of metal AM for the automotive industry are analyzed by providing a comprehensive review. The paper examines the potential of metal AM for automotive applications, compares it to conventional manufacturing processes to determine its benefits, and identifies the significant drawbacks and difficulties. The review emphasizes how metal AM has the potential to transform the automobile sector by enabling producers to produce highly customized parts with enhanced performance properties, at lower costs, and with shorter lead times. However, currently, this technology is in its early stages and has several limitations such as limited material availabilities, high cost of equipment and materials, limited printing sizes, and need for several post-processings to get better results. To sum up, metal additive manufacturing technology has great adoption potential in the automotive industry, but further research and development are required to overcome its current limitations. Researchers and professionals in the industry seeking to comprehend the potential effects of metal AM on the automotive industry will benefit greatly from the findings of this study.

Abstract: The Automotive Industry is in constant evolution, thanks in part to its high level of production and customer demands for quality assurance. New processes, equipment and products are constantly emerging, leading to new vehicles launched to the public. These processes and equipment need adequate monitoring tools and forms of quality assurance, and it is the responsibility of the engineering department to look for economically viable and efficient ways of guaranteeing the quality of products in an industry where quality itself is considered one of its pillars. This work aims to develop and validate a solution for quality control in the automotive industry while taking full advantage of the technological factors provided by the equipment used. It deals with researching and applying a three-dimensions (3D) scanner in product quality monitoring tasks of a door panel manufacturing process. Pilot studies were carried out to assess the real capabilities of the equipment and determine problems that could arise when scaling the process for a real production of car door panels. The implementation and final results are also described in this work, showing that it is possible to develop a flexible equipment with multiple applications and apply it in the automotive industry.

Abstract: This study measures the sustainable performance of ten car manufacturers operating in the U.S. We took into account three dimensions of sustainability: (a) economic, (b) environmental, and (c) social. Our methodology drew on the generalized directional distance function data envelopment analysis in conjunction with the multi-parametric method for bias correction of efficiency estimators. The combination of the two methods reduced the bias of efficiency estimators, which was sourced from the dimensionality of the production set and the sample size. Our analysis revealed that Chrysler-Fiat, GM, and Ford have the worst sustainable performance among firms under review over the years 2014–2018.

Abstract: Resistance spot welding (RSW) is one of the most common welding methods for steel sheets, as it is mainly used to join the automotive body structure parts. Different types of ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) have become widely used in the automotive body to obtain the required demands such as lower car weight, improving crashworthiness behavior, and enhancing strength–ductility combination. Martensitic UHSS belong to the highest grades width their tensile strength above 1000 MPa. During the lifetime of the vehicle cyclic loading generally occurs, therefore the optimization of welding technology should be performed considering the fatigue resistance of the welded joints. In our research 1 mm thick standardized lap shear sheets of martensitic MS1400 steel were welded by a TECNA 8007 RSW equipment with two different welding parameter combinations. The idea was to analyze the effect of welding and pulsation parameters on joint properties under static and cyclic loading. The welding parameters have been calibrated to produce the same weld nugget size for both technological combinations. Macroscopic, hardness, and tensile-shear tests were carried out to determine the fundamental mechanical characteristics of the RSW joints. The relation between the weld nugget microstructure and mechanical properties was explored. The high cycle fatigue (HCF) tests were performed on an MTS 810.23 universal electro-hydraulic materials testing system. A statistical approach was applied during the preparation and evaluation of the investigations, which increased their reliability. Measured and analyzed data of the lap shear welded joints, prepared by different technological parameters, were compared and discussed. The parameters of the HCF experiments were calculated considering the Japanese testing method (JSME S 002-1981). In most of the samples it was observed from both welding parameter combinations that the fatigue cracks initiate and grow in curvature shape in the softened part of the heat-affected zone towards the base metals in both directions symmetrically. A slight difference was observed in the HCF resistance of the welded joints prepared by different welding parameters.

Abstract: The development of modern high-tech industries of industrial production is impossible without the development of new methods for processing materials with high mechanical characteristics. There is a growing need for an increase in the proportion of parts made of aluminum alloys, a more complex configuration of cast parts, an increase in their reliability and durability in operation, etc. All this poses for metallurgists and foundry workers the task of creating new technologies for producing alloys, improving the technical and economic characteristics of structural materials, improving the quality and reducing the cost of castings.Hypoeutectic silumins have good casting properties, good weldability, machinability and corrosion resistance. However, they are prone to the formation of a coarse needle-like state, which reduces their useful characteristics. To eliminate this phenomenon, it is necessary to apply special technologies and the most common is their modification, which provides grain refinement. This makes it possible to use silumins for the manufacture of castings of complex shapes with increased density and low shrinkage porosity. Such parts can withstand average loads in critical units. Aluminum-silicon alloy AK7 or (ASi7Mg0.3) is a typical silumin, which is in demand in the automotive industry, construction, aircraft construction, machine, automobile and tractor production. It is appreciated for its good casting properties, weldability, machinability and corrosion resistance.

Abstract: In recent years, due to its extraordinary qualities, friction stir welding process FSW has found its utility in more and more industrial applications in fields such as: aerospace, aeronautics, naval, automotive and railway. The paper summarizes several achievements in the FSW joining of couples of similar and dissimilar materials used in the automotive industry. There are presented aspects regarding the welding of ferrous metal materials (DD13), couples of non-ferrous metallic materials (Al Cu range) and steels with aluminum. The behavior of FSW of material couples in terms of analysis of microstructural improvements and mechanical characteristics is analyzed. The preliminary results obtained have shown that the FSW process can be successfully applied to the joining of the approached material couples, but with the use of optimized welding tools and technologies.

Abstract: In the paper are presented some preliminary results regarding the possibilities of using of the friction stir welding process (FSW) and FSW assisted with TIG (FSW – TIG) welding for joining of the electrical components in the automotive industry. Couples of dissimilar materials approached in experiments were Aluminium EN AW 1200 and Copper Cu99, with thicknesses in conformity with real cases in the production process. The results obtained for butt welding an overlap welding of different thicknesses of materials (aluminium thickness s1 = 2mm and copper thickness s2 = 5mm) are presented. There are some general conclusions regarding the possibilities of joining the two materials under the specified conditions.

Abstract: The organizational performance depends of the development of the processes in the organization. In the automotive manufacturing – based on the requirements from the referential standards like ISO 9001 or ISO TS 16949 – the processes map describe very clear all the processes and their inter-correlation. To achieve the level of performance according with top management expectation all processes are monitored regarding the effectiveness and efficiency using the key indicators, but the level of performance is also direct linked with the level of response at quality issues. But the organizations have the processes with different structure of personnel who take care for managing the processes, with different levels of reporting and leadership. This paper presents the advantages to develop the FLRQI (Fast Response on Layers at Quality Issues) easy to communicate and escalate from down to top, and to develop and coach the personnel from top to down in the same time, at the end the advantages to have the fast response at issues implemented in all departments will be measured in better quality, less cost and on time delivery. The paper proposes a new concept to implement a culture of fast response which is easy to be applied in multi-national companies because is easier to be tailored on each structure of the processes.