Thursday, February 24, 2011

Reduce weight: Audi and Lamborghini trace the future of the automobile

The challenge ahead is all del'automobile in weight, which must fall. So every new model of the German group will weigh less than the previous one, a major turnaround compared to the general trend that coincides with a new symbol, which would accompany any future car "read" Ultra. E-Tron identified as electric cars, the cars then Ultra define symbol of the new era.

How to obtain the goal? With lightweight construction, a technique that uses different materials, from high-strength aluminum, magnesium to carbon fiber, to increase body rigidity while decreasing weight. The approach needs to be averaged over the number of production and product price.

So if you use the TT special steel with aluminum parts, the A6 comes the hybrid steel-aluminum construction that saves 80 kg over the previous version, to go to the full A8 aluminum, whose shell weighs only 231 kg. Most sophisticated materials and "precious" are then taken up production rates gradually smaller, according to the logic of the cost of solutions and the time needed for their implementation.

The very future, the "front" so we can see only truly exclusive models. And here's the Lamborghini Aventador, the replacement for the Murcielago, with an exclusive and expensive carbon monocoque made from aeronautical technology: the collaboration with Boeing has enabled the transfer of the car in the world of techniques that have led to a full in monocoque CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced resin) that weighs only 147.5 kg, but with a torsional stiffness of 35,000 Nm / °, a very high value to weight ratio Ultra.

During a visit to the interesting sections of lightweight construction in the factory Audi in Neckarsulm (D) and the home of Lamborghini in Sant'Agata Bolognese, as we have seen the draft of the new car follows the philosophy of integration of different materials and development of highly innovative and proprietary technical liaison between the various components, with several milestones of the project.

In the case of carbon then the use of which is a high priority to the Lamborghini, the challenge is to find ways of industrialization for the use of fiber that automate many steps in a procedure manual for hours, gradually extending the use of models produced in most amount to the extent that living costs will decline.

The recent agreement with the VW group Voith GmbH, a company specializing in the field, it is precisely in this direction. A future of cars with carbon shell, then, to read, free from corrosion, but terribly difficult to repair? Lamborghini have thought of that when they opened the service of "flying doctor" with equipment Heatcon (lifted wholesale from assistance Boeing) in three structures, in Italy (to Europe), USA and Asia, capable of reaching the car damaged where it is and fix it on site with a guarantee of robustness.

Too expensive cars today for "human", but the gist of the matter is that each technology carries with it the structures and skills to spread. So do not worry, even our lightest car of tomorrow will have their coaches.

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