Magnesium die-castings have long been known as a proven engineering solution to achieve lightweight application in automotive powertrain systems. In recent years there has been increased interest by automotive engineers to reduce the cost and weight of vehicles to meet various consumer needs. Now as an added requirement, environmental and geopolitical issues are demanding more attention from automakers to design more fuel-efficient vehicles. In order to address these issues, new emphasis is being placed on developing powertrain systems that not only consider new electrical and electromechanical technologies to achieve higher fuel economy, but also with a renewed look at why cost and weight reduction can help more easily meet fuel economy targets. Many consider magnesium as the material of choice to reduce vehicle weight. This paper reviews the key attributes that are helping (directly and indirectly) accelerate the application of magnesium die-casting for automotive powertrain systems. Emphasis is placed on the emerging trends of magnesium technologies that enable the lightweight metal to be readily used for automotive powertrain systems.
展开▼
