ULTALITE AL-Ti MMC
NEW EMISSIONS PARADIGM
GRAHAM WITHERS
President, Graham Withers Technology LLC
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GERALD COLE PhD, DASM,
LightWeightStrategies LLC
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Environmental Protection Authority,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Emission standards already in place for model years 2014-2018.
 Emission Standards already in place for model years 2014-2018.
 This will result in emissions reductions of 270 million metric tons and save vehicle
owners more than $50 billion in fuel costs.
 The proposal also builds on standards that the Administration has put in place for
light duty vehicles, which are projected to reduce carbon pollution by 6 billion tons
over the lifetime of vehicles sold, double fuel economy by 2025, and save
consumers $1.7 trillion at the pump.
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Environmental Protection Authority,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The proposed program is designed with separate performance-based standards for four
box trailer subcategories:
 Long-box dry vans
 Long-box refrigerated vans
 Short-box dry vans
 Short-box
3 refrigerated vans
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Environmental Protection Authority,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
 The EPA trailer standards would begin to take effect in model year 2018 for certain
trailers, while NHTSA’s standards would be in effect as of 2021, with credits available
for voluntary participation before then.
 Cost effective technologies for trailers, including aerodynamic devices, light weight
construction and self-inflating tires etc., can significantly reduce total fuel
consumption by tractor trailers, whilst providing a rapid pay back.
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Environmental Protection Authority,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Every 10 percent drop in truck weight reduces fuel use between 5 and 10 percent.
 Every 10 per cent drop in truck weight reduces fuel use between 5 and 10 per cent.
 An empty truck makes up about one third of the total weight of a fully loaded truck.
 Lightweight metal alloys, metal matrix composites, and other lightweight
components can reduce empty truck weight, and at the same time improve fuel
efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Weight Savings in Tractors
 Cast aluminum alloy wheels produce total savings around 130 kg
 Aluminum axle hubs can save over 50 kg compared to ductile iron or steel
 Centrifuse brake drums can save nearly 50 kg compared to standard brake drums
 An Aluminum clutch housing can save about 20 kg compared to iron clutch housing
 Composite front axle leaf springs can save about 30 kg compared to steel springs
 Aluminum cab frames can save hundreds of kg compared to standard steel frames
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Titanium - Properties
 Titanium alloys offer a unique combination of high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent
corrosion resistance and favorable high temperature mechanical properties.
 While in the past the high cost of titanium has severely restrained its consideration in
mass produced automobiles, there are certain components for which titanium alloys
are particularly well suited from a design viewpoint.
 The most promising of these applications include suspension springs and engine
components such as valves, valve springs and valve retainers.
Sherman and Allison 1986
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Titanium –Weight Reduction
 The most widely recognized reason to use titanium over steel in a spring application
is to lower the overall weight of the end product.
 Titanium springs can routinely weigh anywhere from 40-60% less than a steel spring
used in the same application.
 While most of the weight reduction from using titanium is built
into the weight properties of the material itself, the lower
torsion modulus of titanium also makes it possible to achieve
the same load capacity in a shorter spring design by allowing
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for a steeper
pitch angle on each coil.
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Titanium – Corrosion Resistance
The basic metallurgical properties of titanium allow for a greatly improved resistance to
corrosion, thus eliminating the need for costly plating and painting operations that are
typically added to the vehicle construction.
Brake Drum Salt test at 144 hours Cast Iron vs Al MMC
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Cast Iron
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Al MMC
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Titanium – Processing
 While titanium springs are different from traditional steel springs in many
ways, it is possible to employ similar post production shot-peening and heat
treatment processes to provide greater strength and increase the fatigue life.
 In the US, a leading exhaust system manufacturer, Arvin, successfully rolled
and seam welded a run of titanium mufflers at one of its plants.
 This was done with no cost penalty compared with steel production. The
company has also found that no extra costs apply when bending titanium
tubes through plants that are currently producing steel components.
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Titanium – Automotive Applications
 Automotive applications of titanium follow logically from the high strength and
modulus, and low density of titanium and its alloys, and their excellent resistance to
corrosion and oxidation.
 On current vehicle applications, there is a limited use of titanium in exhaust systems
which are capable of surviving a 100,000 mile warranty.
 High strength fastenings, brake components, and corrosion resistant, damage
tolerant under panels are also under evaluation.
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Titanium - Pistons
 “With truck engine pistons, moving from hardened steel to titanium could
dramatically reduce the moving mass within the engine, boosting efficiency by
removing a big source of parasitic drag on performance.
 “Conversely, titanium is more expensive than aluminum and cast iron, tougher
to machine, and harder to form without going into powder metallurgy or
additive manufacturing”, said Peter Blau, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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Titanium - Pistons
 In some motor vehicle uses, such as flame decks, blocks, and brake rotors, there are
massive heat problems as well.
 “Cast iron in engines has about six times higher thermal conductivity than the
titanium alloys we studied,” says Peter Blau.
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Titanium - Brakes
 For many harsh conditions, the value of Titanium is clear.
 With commercial truck brakes, road salt could build up on titanium alloy rotors
without corroding or pitting, solving a major problem for freight companies in cold
weather regions.
 “You need to pay special attention with thermal dissipation”, says Peter Blau.
 “Titanium disc brake rotors, for example, would heat up more than cast iron or steel,
just because thermal conductivity was so low.”
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Titanium - Australian Regulations
Although Australian regulations are different to USA regulations, ULTALITE is already
taking advantage of the anticipated pressure for vehicle weight reduction by
developing the use of ULTALITE Aluminium Titanium MMC composites and titanium in
car and truck brake systems
End
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