Improving Global Quality of Life

At the same time as automakers are grappling with these challenges, the competitive landscape in the
automotive market has increased significantly. The number of nameplates available for consumers to
choose from has gone up significantly over the last decade. This broadened competition has turned it into
a buyers’ market, driving growth of incentives to outpace vehicle prices. To keep customers coming into
the showroom, automakers must continually refresh their line-ups. The speed and cost of developing new
vehicles combined with the ability to change model production to flow with market demand have become
critical competitive advantages.
These challenges have a direct impact on the automaker’s technical strategies. In discussions with Edison
Welding Institute (EWI) members, three common technical areas emerge; powertrains, structures and safety
systems.
Powertrains
The first technical area is the development of next generation powertrains, which have automakers focusing
on near term, mid-term and long-term solutions. The near term focus includes the development of more
efficient internal combustion engines (ICE). Most of the mid-term effort is on the development of hybrid
vehicles. The lynch pin to these vehicles is the development of safe, affordable Lithium-Ion batteries. Longterm,
every OEM has its focus on producing fuel cell powertrains. Two critical steps to make fuel cells a
sellable reality in the market place are the ability to affordably produce the fuel cells themselves in high
volume and the development of safe hydrogen storage systems. From a joining standpoint, these new
powertrains require enormous numbers of critical welds. In the batteries, these welds will involve joining
dissimilar materials like copper to aluminium. From a welding engineering standpoint, the fuel cell stack is
a series of leak tight joints on very thin foils. To be produced affordably, these joints will require ultra high
speed welding systems that are better than six sigma.
Structures and safety systems
Over the last few years the focus of automakers has been on the ability to meet the pending roof crush
standards without taking a weight or cost penalty. Through the development of new steel grades, known as
advanced high strength steels (AHSS), automakers have, for the most part been able to design vehicles to the
new standards without a weight penalty. These new steels offer much hope toward developing lighter, safer
vehicles. The challenge welding engineers face with these new steels is that steel makers and designers are
implementing new steels at a faster rate than welding engineers can handle. To better handle the onslaught
of new materials, FEA based weldability modelling tools are needed.
The next hurdle developers are grappling with is how to drive down the weight and cost of the vehicle
structures. To achieve this, designers will likely call for new designs involving tubular construction. To make
tubular designs work in a vehicle assembly, robust single sided welding technologies must be developed.
Perhaps the biggest change that will occur if fuel prices and regulations require automakers build more
efficient vehicles is the incorporation of multi-material vehicle designs (MMV). Today’s vehicles are largely
steel structures. An MMV would utilise a range of materials from Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) and
Ultra High Strength Steels (UHSS), to aluminium, magnesium and composites. While a true MMV structure
offers the protection of UHSS with the weight savings of aluminium and magnesium, it would also pose
numerous manufacturing challenges in terms of corrosion, joining, and design. Automakers are looking for
governmental, research and industrial organisations that will partner with them to research, develop and
commercialise technologies that address the critical hurdles revolving around energy/emissions, safety and
affordability. Collaborations to address these materials joining challenges, are necessary.
118 Improving Global Quality of Life Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies