汽车前沿技术 | 英国研究联盟发布更轻的铝制副车架

据报道，由英国主导的一个联盟发布了先进的铸铝汽车副车架。这些部件有望通过大幅减轻重量、降低开发成本并缩短生产周期，推动汽车制造业的变革。这些部件是在耗资580万英镑的“高性能集成车辆优化技术”（Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology，PIVOT）项目下开发的；与某家英国大型整车制造商（OEM）一款演示车型上的原有结构相比，新部件的前部和后部重量分别减轻了17%和35%。这一突破性成果在由谢菲尔德大学先进制造研究中心（AMRC）主办的“铸就铝业未来”（Casting the Future of Aluminium）活动上正式发布，彰显了先进铸造技术与虚拟工程技术在支持下一代轻量化、高性能汽车方面的巨大潜力。该项目由总部位于考文垂的铸造企业 Sarginsons Industries 牵头，该联盟将企业专有的铝合金铸造技术与西门子（Siemens）的拓扑优化软件相结合，对结构部件进行了重新设计。该方案基于二十多年积累的材料测试与微观组织分析数据，使工程师能够在生产开始前，精准预测铝材在整个铸造过程中的性能表现。借助该技术，结构铸件可通过虚拟碰撞仿真进行验证，从而既减少了对高成本物理测试的依赖，又剔除了设计中不必要的材料。这一突破性成果在由谢菲尔德大学先进制造研究中心（AMRC）主办的“铸就铝业未来”（Casting the Future of Aluminium）活动上正式发布，彰显了先进铸造技术与虚拟工程技术在支持下一代轻量化、高性能车辆方面的巨大潜力。该项目由位于考文垂的铸造企业Sarginsons Industries牵头，该联盟将企业专有的铝铸造技术与西门子（Siemens）的拓扑优化软件相结合，对结构部件进行了重新设计。该方法基于二十多年来积累的材料测试与微观组织分析数据，使工程师能够在生产开始前，准确预测铝材在整个铸造过程中的性能表现。利用这项技术，可以在虚拟碰撞仿真中验证结构铸件的性能，从而减少对高昂物理测试的依赖，并剔除设计中不必要的冗余材料。Sarginsons Industries技术总监Gavin Shipley表示：“每次进行物理碰撞测试的成本可能高达100万英镑。几十年来，确保安全性的唯一途径就是采用‘过度设计’策略，即通过增加质量和材料用量来应对各种不确定性。我们展示了一种替代方案。通过结合虚拟工程、人工智能和先进的铸造专业技术，我们能够在浇注金属之前就精确掌握零部件的性能表现；这让制造商有信心基于实际性能而非‘最差情况’的假设来进行设计。”他补充道，这项技术“为打造更轻、更强、更高效的车辆结构开启了全新的可能”。继虚拟开发项目取得成功后，前副车架现将进入工装制造阶段，随后将在验证样车上进行实物耐久性测试与赛道评估，以验证数字化工程方法的有效性。PIVOT项目由英国先进动力系统中心（Advanced Propulsion Centre）支持，汇集了Sarginsons Industries、阿斯顿·马丁（Aston Martin）、西门子、布鲁内尔大学（Brunel University）和GESCRAP等各方力量，旨在加速先进铝材制造领域的创新。该项目展示了英国在数字化工程、铸造及材料科学领域的专业实力如何助力开发更轻量化、更可持续的车辆结构，同时也彰显了其在增强国家先进制造能力方面的贡献。A UK-led consortium has unveiled advanced cast aluminium vehicle subframes that could help transform automotive manufacturing by significantly reducing weight while cutting development costs and speeding up production.The components, developed through the ￡5.8m Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology (PIVOT) project, are 17% lighter at the front and 35% lighter at the rear than the structures they are designed to replace on a demonstrator vehicle for a major British OEM.The breakthrough was revealed at the “Casting the Future of Aluminium” event, hosted by the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), highlighting the potential of advanced casting and virtual engineering to support the next generation of lightweight, high-performance vehicles.Led by Coventry-based foundry Sarginsons Industries, the consortium combined proprietary aluminium casting expertise with topology optimisation software from Siemens to redesign the structural components.The approach draws on more than two decades of material testing and microstructural analysis, enabling engineers to accurately predict how aluminium will perform throughout the casting process before production begins. The technology allows structural castings to be validated in virtual crash simulations, reducing reliance on costly physical testing while eliminating unnecessary material from designs.Gavin Shipley, technical director at Sarginsons Industries, said: “A physical crash test can cost up to ￡1m every time you run one. For decades, the only way to be safe was to over-engineer, adding mass and material to compensate for uncertainty.“What we’ve demonstrated is an alternative. By combining virtual engineering, AI and advanced casting expertise, we’re able to understand precisely how a component will behave before any metal is poured, giving manufacturers the confidence to design for real performance rather than worst-case assumptions.”He added that the technology was “unlocking entirely new possibilities for lighter, stronger and more efficient vehicle structures”.Following the successful virtual development programme, the front subframe will now progress to tooling, before undergoing physical durability testing and track evaluation on demonstrator vehicles to validate the digital engineering approach.PIVOT (Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology) is backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre and brings together Sarginsons Industries, Aston Martin, Siemens, Brunel University and GESCRAP to accelerate innovation in advanced aluminium manufacturing.The project demonstrates how UK expertise in digital engineering, casting and materials science is helping develop lighter, more sustainable vehicle structures while strengthening the country’s advanced manufacturing capabilities.作者: AMRC来源: https://www.themanufacturer.com

汽车前沿技术 | 英国研究联盟发布更轻的铝制副车架

评论 (0)

相关文章