Priority lightweighting materials include advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and composites such as metal-matrix materials, and glass- and carbon-fiber-reinforced thermosets and thermoplastics. The emphasis of the research projects reported in this document was largely on applied research and evaluation of mass savings opportunities through the aggressive application of lightweight materials, advanced computational methods, and the demonstration of production capable manufacturing processes intended for high-volume applications, all directed towards the FreedomCAR Program goals.
The single greatest barrier to automotive use of lightweight materials is their high cost therefore, priority is given to activities aimed at reducing costs through development of new materials, forming technologies, and manufacturing processes. As progress is made on these projects, the benefits of lightweight construction and enabling technologies will be transferred to the supply base and implemented in production vehicles. Projects are guided through ongoing monitoring and USAMP offsite reviews, so as to meet the requirements of each phase before they are allowed to move on to the next phase. Research projects are assigned to one of three phases: concept feasibility, technical feasibility, and demonstration feasibility. In cooperation with USAMP and the FreedomCAR Materials Technical Team, a consensus process has been established to facilitate the development of projects to help move leveraged research to targeted development projects that eventually migrate to the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as application engineering projects. These new USAMP divisions are: Multi-Material Vehicle Research and Development Initiative (MMV), and the Non-Destructive Evaluation Steering Committee (NDE). Two new divisions were formed by USAMP in 2006 to drive research emphasis on integration of structures incorporating dissimilar lightweighting materials, and on enabling technology for nondestructive evaluation of structures and joints. Over 70 materials-focused projects have been established by USAMP, in collaboration with participating suppliers, academic/non-profit organizations and national laboratories, and executed through its original three divisions: the Automotive Composites Consortium (ACC), the Automotive Metals Division (AMD), and Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP). These interactions provide a direct route for implementing newly developed materials and technologies, and have resulted in significant technical successes to date, as discussed in the individual project summary final reports. USAMP efforts are conducted by the domestic automobile manufacturers, in collaboration with materials and manufacturing suppliers, national laboratories, universities, and other technology or trade organizations. This second USAMP Cooperative Agreement with the DOE has expanded a unique and valuable framework for collaboratively directing industry and government research efforts toward the development of technologies capable of solving important societal problems related to automobile transportation. The FCVT was announced in FY 2002 and implemented in FY 2003, as a successor of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), largely addressed under more » the first Cooperative Agreement.
As a major component of the DOE's Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program (FCVT) collaboration with the USAMP, the Automotive Lightweighting Materials (ALM) program focuses on the development and validation of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to significantly reduce automotive vehicle body and chassis weight without compromising other attributes such as safety, performance, recyclability, and cost. Its specific goals are: (1) To conduct joint research to further the development of lightweight materials for improved automotive fuel economy and (2) To work with the Federal government to explore opportunities for cooperative programs with the national laboratories, Federal agencies such as the DOE and universities. The mission of the USAMP is to conduct vehicle-oriented research and development in materials and materials processing to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has supported its activities with funding and technical support. The United States Automotive Materials Partnership LLC (USAMP) was formed in 1993 as a partnership between Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation.