Materials

Advanced out-of-autoclave composites process accelerates curing, enhances adhesion of fasteners A new IR-assisted advanced out-of-autoclave (OOA) process from Kubota Research Associates reportedly enhances adhesion properties and “significantly” accelerates the curing speed of thermoset resin systems for installing adhesive bonded fasteners onto composite fuselage and metal structures. Read full story

Uncle Sam wants innovative solutions from suppliers A retired military officer who was the development manager for the U.S. Department of Defense's $3 trillion, six-year Future Year Defense Plan wants suppliers to know that the military wants innovative product solutions. Read full story

GM tools up for high-volume aluminum structures with new welding technology The process centers on a new electrode-tip design. It will enable GM’s global body shops to spot-weld virtually any combination of aluminum sheet, extrusions, and castings at higher production rates than are currently used in automotive aluminum-structures manufacturing. Read full story

Lightweight sandwich structures for EV chassis Plastic foam-core/aluminum-skin sandwich components developed by Inrekor in collaboration with JSP cut the weight of a prototype EV chassis by 30%. Read full story

ContiTech air springs with plastic piston save weight, increase ride comfort The supplier claims that up to 75% of the weight of conventional steel pistons is saved thanks to the use of plastic and a new simulation method. The end result is a potential weight reduction of up to 12 kg (27 lb) per axle. Read full story

Galvanic corrosion modeling for aircraft environments Galvanic corrosion in aircraft is important as it occurs whenever dissimilar metals or certain types of composites are joined or are located close to each other. SICOM, a recent project involving Airbus, EADS, BEASY, and a number of research centers, investigated how the “find it and fix it” approach can be replaced by a more fundamental approach based on computer modeling. Read full story

Noise-damping lubricants control NVH, improve perceived vehicle quality Less noise and more smoothness are important design attributes for operators of most every type of vehicle, including passenger vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and off-road equipment. Synthetic noise-damping lubricants such as the Molykote brand solutions from Dow Corning can be economical, long-lasting answers to achieve these attributes in powertrain, body, chassis, and interior applications. Read full story

Video Interview: SCM Metal focuses on lightweight future AEI spoke with SCM Metal Products’ Tom Pelletiers at the SAE 2012 World Congress about the North Carolina-based company’s next-generation lightweight materials. Read full story

3M, Chesapeake Energy team to develop cheaper, lighter CNG tanks 3M and Chesapeake Energy Corp. are collaborating to design, manufacture, and market a portfolio of compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks for use in various transportation sectors in the U.S. The companies note that currently the fuel tank on a CNG vehicle is its most expensive single component but claim that the new CNG tanks stemming from their partnership will reduce costs and increase performance. Read full story