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CHAPTER 1<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

The recent economical global crisis and the continuing unstable prices of oil and<br />

raw materials have tended the manufacturer to reduce the weight of automobiles and<br />

increase the efficiencies of engines, transmission and active and passive safety systems.<br />

Other restrictions on the automobile weight come from the legal regulations of air<br />

pollution. USA (EPA 2000) and European union (EC 1998) have announced new<br />

regulations on the gas emission levels separately. These regulations aim to decline CO<br />

and NOx ratios in the exhaust gas emission. It is therefore expected that the weight<br />

saving possibilities in automobiles will be seriously considered and investigated by the<br />

automobile manufacturer as the new regulations appear in coming years.<br />

Since the end of 1980s, the number of parts made from aluminum has been<br />

continuously increasing. According to European Aluminum Association, the total<br />

weight of aluminum use in automobile bodies will reach approximately 160 kg in the<br />

year of 2010 (EAA 2008). This corresponds to approximately 10% reduction in the total<br />

weight of an average European car. The recent European project entitled ―Super Light<br />

Car‖ achieved 32% total weight reduction in the body in white of automobile using the<br />

combination of various kinds of materials including high strength steels, aluminum<br />

sheet/extrusions and casting, magnesium castings and carbon fiber reinforced plastics<br />

(Figure 1.1) (Duwe and Kopp 2009).<br />

1

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