EWI Completes Automotive Structures Roadmap

To gain a fresh perspective on the changing dynamics of our member’s needs, last summer EWI’s Automotive & Light Manufacturing Team began developing a formal roadmap for the future landscape of automotive design and related manufacturing trends.

The roadmap, which was targeted to automotive structures and related components, was developed through dozens of in-person interviews with senior technical staff and managers within the OEMs and supply base. In addition to the interviews, EWI conducted a web-based survey of OEMs and suppliers. The interviews and web-based survey were augmented by a literature review and focused on the critical business drivers and technical needs of this segment.

Changing Market Drivers
Over the past several years automakers have been preparing to meet rising crash-worthiness standards which increase the performance specifications for frontal impact and roof crush resistance by more than 60 percent. The common theme we heard from automakers was that their primary goal was to meet the new requirements with a weight and cost neutral approach. Through developments in advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), automakers were largely able to meet the new performance goals without adding weight to the vehicles.

Grappling with concerns over climate change and energy independence, lawmakers are establishing new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (also known as CAFÉ) laws. These laws will require automakers to raise their fuel efficiency by 35 percent within the next few years. While the majority of the efficiency gains are expected to come from advancements in the power-train, roughly one third of the gains are expected to come through reductions in vehicle weight.

Implications for Vehicle Structures
There has been a clear increase in the use of AHSS in vehicle structures. When we analyzed the results of the survey in relation to future material choices, two things stood out. First was the dramatic shift toward ultra-high strength steels; and second was the increased interest in aluminum and magnesium (see Figure 1). The survey analysis matched the feedback we received during the one-on-one interviews. Members told us that to meet these new objectives all automakers must find new solutions to meet evolving performance standards while simultaneously reducing both weight and cost.

As higher and higher strength materials continue to dominate vehicle structures, automakers say the next logical evolution is that they will continue to down-gauge material thickness of the structures. During the roadmapping process some new design terms began to emerge. Traditionally a vehicle’s structure is classified as being uni-body, body-on-frame or tubular. However, in the future we may see vehicles that have hybrid or modular structures. In these types of vehicles, part of the structure may utilize a uni-body design while other parts of the same vehicle will be based on a tubular or space frame design. Another design term that may become familiar to automakers in the next few years is “Multi-Material Vehicles” (MMVs), which refers to the combination of dissimilar materials within the same structure.

Common Technical Challenges
Meeting the changing vehicle product requirements will require advancements in designs, materials, forming and joining. From a technical standpoint numerous technical challenges have been identified, encompassing three main areas of focus: forming AHSS, fabrication with light metals, and high-productivity processes. For example, joining of dissimilar materials such as aluminum to steel affects the aluminum and steel suppliers, fabricators, inspection, and finishing and coating.

The automotive structures roadmap dispelled the myth that particular automakers have “solutions in hand.” Rather, we found that meeting the changing regulations and market conditions requires technical innovations that go well beyond conventional product engineering. And all automakers, whether traditional or new domestic, share these challenges. Because these technical challenges are common to the broader automotive market, it points to the need for more expansive industry collaborations.

In the next phase of this roadmapping effort, EWI’s automotive team will be meeting with member companys’ engineering teams to review the results of the automotive structures roadmap and discuss what these changes mean to their engineering needs.

If you would like further information on EWI’s Automotive Structures Roadmap or would like EWI to meet with your engineering team, please contact Jon Jennings at 614.688.5144 or jon_jennings@ewi.org.