Automotive Industry Trends
April 2003
Aluminum Standards : See what's new for 2003
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A new 2003 edition of Aluminum Standards and Data, the industry bible for anyone who works with or designs products made with wrought aluminum, is now available for purchase. Last updated in 2000, the new 235-page volume features comprehensive descriptions of alloys, tempers, and product standards as well as their performance characteristics. Included in the volume, you’ll find:
- Chemical compositions of alloys
- Typical physical properties
- Comparative characteristics
- Typical tensile property limits
- Latest tolerance tables
"About 20 percent of the pages in this year’s edition have changes from past editions,” notes Peter Pollak, the Aluminum Association’s (AA) manager of Product Standards. “And for the first time ever, a separate rationalized metric edition will be published in the same year as our standard edition. In the past, the two editions had different publication dates, so often, information changed between the editions. Now both editions contain the same information.”
AWS targets updates by year-end
The American Welding Society’s (AWS) automotive welding committee has several standards nearing publication readiness.
For engineers who are turning their attention to aluminum materials, AWS will have its D8.14 Specification for Automotive Car and Light Truck Components Weld Quality – Aluminum Arc Welding documentation available later in 2003. These specs cover practical tolerances for welding production values of automotive structural parts made with aluminum.
“This year’s edition will contain the latest updates in GMAW and laser-assisted welding,” says Harold Ellison, technical staff engineer at AWS. By using laser-assisted welding techniques the laser provides a small weld pool that the gas metal arc weld penetrates to provide a more uniform temperature distribution and less distortion.
Another new AWS aluminum-related document coming out later this year is D8.13, a new specification for Automotive Aluminum Resistance Spot Weld Inspection. Two years in the making, the new specification covers assessment criteria to be used by designers and others evaluating the acceptance of resistance spot welds. Specifically, the specifications focus on aluminum alloys for automotive sheet metal products.
AWS also has D8.17, a Recommended Practices for Automotive Laser Beam Welding document coming out in 2003. “With recommendations, we give suggested parameters to use when doing research or work. Recommendations are aids, not directives like specifications,” says Ellison.
Ellison adds that those working with aluminum might want to see AWS’ D.17, Specifications for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications.
Friction stir welding makes use of a wear-resistant, rotating pin that essentially stirs up the materials along the joint. Friction and plastic deformation of the materials produces heat. The stirring action of the apparatus produces a solid-state weld. Friction stir welding lets you join materials at lower temperatures and results in less distortion.
Although not currently used much in automotive applications, friction stir welding does work well with certain aluminum alloys. It also helps eliminate potential problems such as porosity and shrinkage.
The March 2003 issue of Welding Journal features an article on how friction stir welding was used in producing an amphibious assault vehicle for the U.S. Marines. Says Ellison “Automotive engineers will likely find friction stir welding interesting. With the increase in use of aluminum alloys, sooner or later, auto engineers will probably find an application for this welding technique.”2
2 The views expressed in this message are my own interpretation and do not constitute an official position of the American Welding Society or the D8 Committee on Automotive Welding. Official interpretations are made by the D8 Committee in accordance with the inquiry process specified in the annex of the document. -- Harold Ellison