Lightweight Iron and Steel Castings for Automotive Applications 2000-01-0679
The use of aluminum to produce lightweight automotive castings has gained wide acceptance despite significant cost penalties. Lightweight iron and steel casting designs have been largely ignored despite their obvious cost and property advantages.
This paper reviews and discusses the following: 1) various processes for producing lightweight iron and steel castings, 2) examples of lightweight components in high-volume production, 3) examples of conversions from aluminum to iron, 4) material properties of interest to designers, 5) examples of concept components and 6) efforts to improve the design and manufacturing processes for lightweight iron and steel castings.
In summary, the potential for low-cost, lightweight iron and steel castings to aid the automotive industry in achieving both cost and weight objectives has been demonstrated and continues to expand. In general, however, automotive designers and engineers have not yet fully taken advantage of these technologies.
