Page 7 - MFi Vol.152 ATZ Extra Issue 2019

Superplastic aluminum alloy sheet

Superplastic material has
elongation of more than several Before stretching
hundred percent at high
temperatures.
Using the blow-forming method After stretching
(using compressed gas to force
heated material into a metal mold),
superplastic aluminum alloy sheet
permits greater design flexibility.
Blow forming
The trunk-lid panel of the TESLA Model-S
Mold Mold
aluminum with a complex curved surface is formed
alloy sheet
as a single unit with high-temperature
Approximately Approximately Molding blow forming. The merit here is that
400°C to 500°C 400°C to 500°C higher design flexibility can be achieved,
Compressed gas
even in small-lot cases.
EV platform platform
EV

Front electric motor Motor Fan illustrated
Rear electric motors ALUMINUM AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY

07
Charging point

Liquid cooled
lithium-ion battery

Aluminum cathode foils
Aluminum Housing cases
materials Busbars
The large-capacity lithium-ion battery loaded on the
used in LIB
Audi e-tron is made up of aluminum alloy modules, Disclosure sealers
each containing 12 ‘pouch’ cells. To produce the Laminated pouches
battery pack, the modules are placed in an aluminum
alloy housing.

Regarding the structure of vehicles which are rapidly making their That is why the use of lightweight aluminum alloys is favored. For
way to being electric-powered, it is now becoming standard to example, the Audi e-tron’s battery housing consists of 47%
lay out the lithium-ion batteries in an aluminum frame positioned aluminum extruded shapes, 36% aluminum sheets, and 17%
under the floor as part of the body structure. Tesla took the aluminum cast products. Despite being made of aluminum, the
initiative and the BMW i3 was the pioneering model for this. total weight of the system reaches up to 700kg. Considering the
Audi’s e-tron has adopted a similar structure and Jaguar’s structure in terms of shock being dispersed during a side
I-PACE displays the same concept. The mileage of an EV collision, thermal management, and other factors, an aluminum
depends on battery capacity, but the greater the capacity of the frame can now be regarded as the standard for an EV platform.
loaded batteries, the heavier the total vehicle weight becomes.