Automotive Light-Weighting Using Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites

The automotive manufacturing industry, worldwide, has been engaged in a race to produce lightweight vehicles. Consequently, the industry continues to deploy significant resources in developing and utilising advanced lightweight materials and cutting-edge technologies in the manufacture of new vehicle models that are energy efficient, more reliable, safer, more user-friendly and less polluting; without compromising the other important vehicle attributes such as, size, cargo space and payload, structural integrity, power and acceleration. Mass reduction is one consistent and cost-effective strategy that can be combined with other efficiency improvement strategies and technologies to meet the requirements of fuel economy and emission reduction. The materials used in automotive light-weighting must fulfil several criteria imposed by regulation and legislation with the environment in addition to satisfying customer requirements. The choice for light, high strength automotive materials is between advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) on one hand, and composites of aluminium (aluminium metal matrix composites (AlMMCs)), magnesium and polymers, on the other. In this paper, the potential of AlMMCs as a replacement for most steels and aluminium alloys in the manufacture of automotive parts and components is discussed as well as their current status and future trends of utilisation in automotive light-weighting.