The so-called ASF all-aluminum body is a creative combination of steel and aluminum, and the body is built in the form of aluminum alloy, which is actually a research direction of the current automobile lightweight, which is to use aluminum and magnesium such as lighter density metals to gradually replace steel to design and manufacture vehicle parts.

"All-aluminum body?" Zhao Ke showed a thoughtful look, "What the chairman said should be a body technology used in Audi A8, right?"

"That's right, I'm talking about this technology. Zhou Jingming smiled and nodded. As early as 1993, Audi used an all-aluminum body on the Audi A8, but this was just an attempt, because the technology of the all-aluminum body was not mature enough, Audi did not promote this technology on the whole series of models, until 1999, after Audi made a breakthrough in the technology of the all-aluminum body, it began to be popularized and used in A2 and other models.

As the first manufacturer in Europe and the United States to study the all-aluminum body, ASF all-aluminum body technology, which is equivalent to the quattro full-time four-wheel drive technology, has long become the spokesperson of Audi.

However, since Audi has not yet fully promoted the use of this technology, Zhou Jingming thought that he would take the lead in mass production before Audi made a breakthrough in this technology.

"I don't know much about the all-aluminum body, but if I can achieve such a breakthrough and use aluminum alloy instead of steel to make the body, it will definitely be a qualitative leap for the lightweight of the car!" Zhao Ke couldn't help but say excitedly.

The design concept of ASF all-aluminum body has brought great potential to the field of lightweight design, taking the Audi A8 as an example, without installing doors, hoods and tail box covers, the weight of the A8 is only 220 kg, which can be said to reduce the weight of the body to the greatest extent.

"Not only to reduce the mass of the car, the all-aluminum body can also greatly improve the safety performance of the vehicle, the frame structure of the all-aluminum body, can greatly improve the torsional rigidity of the body, can change the path of the vehicle to absorb energy after the collision, ensure the integrity of the cab, protect the driver to the greatest extent, and improve the collision safety of the vehicle. ”

Zhou Jingming paused, and then continued, "In addition, the use of all-aluminum body can also simplify the process of the welding workshop, so that the solder joints on the entire body can be reduced by about 40%, which is convenient for the workshop workers to operate, and can also improve the output of the workshop." ”

It can not only reduce the weight of the body, but also reduce fuel consumption and improve the safety performance of the vehicle, and can also facilitate the operation of the welding workshop.

Of course, the all-aluminum body does not mean that there are no drawbacks, and the main problem with this kind of body is the complexity of maintenance. Once the vehicle collides, the metal is seriously deformed and distorted, due to the particularity of the processing technology, the maintenance process is very complex, and there is basically no way to complete large-scale repair, but can only choose to scrap directly.

In addition, because of the special properties of aluminum alloy, the local ductility of aluminum alloy plate is very bad, easy to crack, and aluminum is much softer than steel, and it is easy to produce surface scratches and other problems in the production process.

But these shortcomings can not cover up the advantages of the all-aluminum body, in short, the flaws are not hidden, and with the progress of the process, these shortcomings of the all-aluminum body will be slowly solved.

In addition, although the name is called "all-aluminum body", it does not mean that the entire body is made of only aluminum alloy. In fact, all-aluminum bodies will still use alloy steel and magnesium alloy and other materials, but aluminum alloy accounts for the largest proportion.

The mixing and matching of a variety of materials also means that the connection method of the body sheet metal parts also needs to be greatly improved and optimized. In order to solve the connection problem, Audi engineers use self-cutting screw connection, laser welding and riveting technology according to the principle of bionics, and there are as many as 14 connection methods alone!

"In this way, in the past two days, I have gone to the senior engineers of the welding workshops of various factories to discuss and see what they think about the company's development of load-bearing bodies and all-aluminum bodies, if there is no problem, we will officially set up the project. Zhao Ke nodded.

"If needed, I can contact the relevant person in charge of Audi and send our technicians to Germany to see how Audi handles the production process of all-aluminum bodies. ”

Although it is impossible for Audi to share the core technology of the all-aluminum body with Tianming Group, it is still possible to visit the workshop and understand the manufacturing process, and in Zhou Jingming's view, the production process of the all-aluminum body is actually not complicated, and the key is to find a suitable aluminum alloy supplier.

Since the 80s, car manufacturers in Europe and the United States have established a good cooperative relationship with aluminum factories to jointly develop aluminum alloy materials suitable for vehicle use.

Therefore, it is not so much that Zhou Jingming is sending these technicians to visit and learn the manufacturing process of all-aluminum body, but rather to be able to find suppliers of high-quality aluminum alloys.

"Okay, chairman, I will try to report the research plan of the welding workshop to you in the next few days. Zhao Ke nodded with a smile.

Since it has been decided to promote the use of all-aluminum body, as the first step of Tianming Group's lightweight design, then next, Zhou Jingming will focus on the research on the all-aluminum body, the domestic side of the all-aluminum body is not much understood, Zhou Jingming wants to engage in this kind of innovation in Tianming Group, it is necessary to prepare the relevant information in advance, and this time to "lightweight" as the theme of the automobile development summit, Zhou Jingming also intends to use such a topic as a reporting material.

The time soon came to the 21st of this month, and this year's International Automotive Development Summit officially kicked off in Yanjing. Zhou Jingming also arrived in Yanjing the night before and attended today's development summit on time.

As the vane of the development of the international automobile industry, the annual International Automobile Development Summit will attract car manufacturers from all over the world to participate, and this year's Yanjing Development Summit is no exception, major car manufacturers in Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, such as Volkswagen, General Motors and Toyota, etc., have all sent representatives to participate in this summit.

After the opening of the host, this year's International Automobile Development Summit officially began.

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