The aluminium industry is expected to contribute to weight reduction through automobile aluminization by developing aluminium alloys and their application technologies. In Japan, the use of aluminium in automobiles is growing steadily, and aluminium and its alloys constitute 6.0 percent of the automobile raw materials. However, 83 percent of that is aluminium alloy castings, and most parts which are replaceable by the castings have already been aluminized. Therefore, the role of wrought aluminium alloys will become more important than before in promoting further aluminization. This paper reviews the situation of the research and development of wrought aluminium alloys and their application technologies for automobiles in Japan and discusses problems that need to be ad dressed. The items to be discussed are (1) body sheets and their application technologies, (2) heat exchanger materials, (3) extrusions and forgings, and (4) advanced materials.
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