subject: The Car and Aluminium [print this page] The Car and Aluminium The Car and Aluminium
How does one design the perfect car? It's simple: make everything light and make the engine powerful.
Speed junkies all over the world follow this mantra. However, if you ask any serious driver, the response would probably be that speed isn't just a number; it could also be a feeling. That's because serious drivers put a premium not just on a car's fastest achievable speed, but also on other things like how a car handles and how its systems work with one another to achieve the sensation of speed.
Not everyone can afford a powerful car, but even a small car with a modest engine can provide the thrill of speed. It's all in how the weight is distributed throughout the car. As a rule, the total weight of the car must be light compared to the power it produces. This is the so-called power-to-weight ratio. Within this metric, the weight must be distributed so that weight is where it is needed.
The chassis must have some significant weight since it carries the drivetrain, allowing the wheels to stick to the road. The balance of the chassis must have a greater weight over the wheels handling the power. And with respect to the entirety of the car, it would be better if the weight was centered in the middle of the car, so that all four wheels would benefit from the equal weight distribution.
Aluminium alloys have played a strong role in trying to achieve such objectives in a car's weight management. While cast iron blocks are still much in use among vehicles, aluminum is now common among performance vehicles.
There was a time when magnesium alloys were the norm among performance cars but they have been supplanted by aluminium alloys. Wheels made of aluminum can be built stronger since they are machined from a solid block, reducing casting errors which can unbalance the wheel.
Aesthetics, as well as weight considerations, were paramount in the development of other car parts like the steering wheel assembly and the axle made from aluminium alloys. They add the shine' factor in an otherwise very functional speedster.
