Aluminum is increasingly replacing steel in automotive applications due to its superior strength-to-weight ratio, equal or better stiffness and toughness properties, durability, and manufacturability considerations. Primer on Automotive Lightweighting Technologies introduces basic ideas and principles of designing and engineering automotive components with aluminum.

The current automotive industry faces numerous challenges, including increased global competition, more stringent environmental and safety requirements, the need for higher performance vehicles, and reducing costs.

The materials used in automotive engineering play key roles in overcoming these issues. Automotive Engineering: Lightweight, Functional, and Novel Materials focuses on both existing materials and future developments in automotive science and technology.

Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) are a family of steels that are stronger than most steels and have better formability than today’s conventional high-strength steels. New U.S. safety and fuel economy regulations have intensified pressure on OEMs to reduce vehicle weight. These pressures are causing auto companies to rethink alternative material applications and to look for opportunities that steel offers.

Materials, Design and Manufacturing for Lightweight Vehicles, Second Edition, features the requirements for processing each material type, explains the manufacture of different categories of components, and analyzes different component joining techniques. The properties of all materials, metals, polymers and composites currently used are included along with how each one influences structural design.

The automotive sector is looking for lighter-weight materials for improved fuel economy and post-consumer recyclability to foster environmental sustainability. Engineering thermoplastics offer the ability to tailor-make components from polymers, and to design parts for enhanced performance, new functionality, part integration, and elimination of secondary operations. Parts made from engineering thermoplastics can be manufactured within specified cost constraints, and using manufacturing methods that offer a wide range of production flexibility.

The automotive industry is under constant pressure to design vehicles capable of meeting increasingly demanding challenges such as improved fuel economy, enhanced safety and effective emission control. Drawing on the knowledge of leading experts, Advanced materials in automotive engineering explores the development, potential and impact of using such materials.

The aim of this book is to provide an understanding of the basic principles of materials selection as practised in engineering manufacture and design with an overview of established materials usage. Emphasis is placed on identifying service requirements and how materials relate to those requirements, rather than listing materials and describing applications.

Unlike any other text of its kind, Materials Selection and Applications in Mechanical Engineering contains complete and in-depth coverage on materials of use, their principles, processing and handling details; along with illustrative examples and sample projects. It clearly depicts the needed topics and gives adequate coverage with ample examples so that ME students can appreciate the relevance of materials to their discipline.