Designing a new sustainable approach to the change for lightweight materials in structural components used in truck industry

摘要

Reducing emissions and improving fuel economy are very important concerns for the heavy-duty transportation industry. Removing weight from vehicles increases performance and efficiency; this consequently lowers produced emissions and improves fuel consumption. For commercial vehicle manufacturers, the introduction of cost-competitive lightweight materials provides great potential to achieve these objectives. Ferrous cast materials, due to their high specific strength per cost ratio and flexibility to be used with casting processes are good alternatives to produce structural components, as weight savings can be achieved.