Steel vs. aluminum war heats up with new Chevy ads.
06-08-16, 07:10 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
06-09-16, 06:06 AM
#19
Super Moderator
That's correct. Aluminum is 1/3 the weight of steel, but is also 1/3 as strong. so from a flat sheet perspective, yes equal strength would weigh exactly the same. It gets more complicated when you start considering strategically removing material from some places and reinforcing in others. The net result can be a piece that is both stronger and lighter than a comparable steel piece.
06-09-16, 06:15 AM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Depends on the type. Aircraft-grade aluminum is very strong for its weight (and, of course, has to endure a lot of turbulence and stress while flying).....but, of course, is quite expensive. Ford (more or less) advertises aircraft-grade aluminum, but doesn't actually come out and say it up front.
06-09-16, 01:26 PM
#22
Super Moderator
Depends on the type. Aircraft-grade aluminum is very strong for its weight (and, of course, has to endure a lot of turbulence and stress while flying).....but, of course, is quite expensive. Ford (more or less) advertises aircraft-grade aluminum, but doesn't actually come out and say it up front.
The high-stress areas of the F150 are made out 6000-series alloys--I'm finding conflicting information on which parts are 6061, 6022, 6014, or 6016. 6022-T43, which is the most popular grade used in automotive enclosures (bodies) has an Ultimate Tensile Strength of 325 MPa when painted, which is very similar to the 6061-T6 (345 MPa) commonly used in aircraft bodies. Low-stress areas of the F150 use a variety of 5000-series alloys.
Airplane parts are a perfect example of what I was talking about in my prior post. By strategically reinforcing the relatively weak aluminum in the appropriate manner, far less total material can be used. Also, fuselages in particular take advantage of their tubular shape, and get stronger the larger the diameter.
But you don't have to believe me, here's what the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association has to say on the topic:
The key requirements for automotive closures are panel bending stiffness and dent resistance. The elastic modulus of aluminum (70 GPa) is about one-third that of steel (210 GPa). As a result, parts previously designed for steel need to be redesigned to achieve
the same stiffness. One way to improve stiffness in aluminum is to increase the ribbing
used in the product or increase the part thickness. For closures and body-structure sheets, the thickness should be increased by a factor of about 1.45.... The resulting weight savings is about 50%
the same stiffness. One way to improve stiffness in aluminum is to increase the ribbing
used in the product or increase the part thickness. For closures and body-structure sheets, the thickness should be increased by a factor of about 1.45.... The resulting weight savings is about 50%
06-10-16, 04:31 AM
#23
looks like another low class short sighted advertising attempt by GM. I think it's their advertising that really makes me dislike their brand. I remember a commercial where howie long was making fun of a person using the F150's "man step" feature which actually looked pretty useful, to using 9/11 images to sell trucks.
06-10-16, 06:10 AM
#24
Lexus Fanatic
As for vehicles, of course, aluminum is to the only lightweight substance we see. Plastic, carbon-fiber, and, in some cases, titanium is also used....though of course titanium is very expensive.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-10-16 at 06:14 AM.
06-10-16, 06:38 AM
#25
Lexus Champion
looks like another low class short sighted advertising attempt by GM. I think it's their advertising that really makes me dislike their brand. I remember a commercial where howie long was making fun of a person using the F150's "man step" feature which actually looked pretty useful, to using 9/11 images to sell trucks.
06-10-16, 06:41 AM
#26
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I like these attempts by GM to unseat the BEST SELLING Truck ever...
My back ground is material hauling and if you want to haul debri sized material we used steel or put liners in our aluminum boxes,trailers....If it was a constant barage we would even up grade our steel to take the abuse
Funny how they BOTH leave out little details on their mis givings; How many GM's do you see with a front marker or head light out; wiring or CHEAP parts
.....Ford on their diesel /def exploits 
I will go back quiet with a "back of the house" view......If any of my commercial accounts came through the shop without bed protection even here in Florida we know they were on the road to failure......sadly we see it weekly, price does not save you on the front end but on the returned investment side.......
My back ground is material hauling and if you want to haul debri sized material we used steel or put liners in our aluminum boxes,trailers....If it was a constant barage we would even up grade our steel to take the abuse
Funny how they BOTH leave out little details on their mis givings; How many GM's do you see with a front marker or head light out; wiring or CHEAP parts
.....Ford on their diesel /def exploits I will go back quiet with a "back of the house" view......If any of my commercial accounts came through the shop without bed protection even here in Florida we know they were on the road to failure......sadly we see it weekly, price does not save you on the front end but on the returned investment side.......
06-10-16, 06:59 AM
#27
looks like another low class short sighted advertising attempt by GM. I think it's their advertising that really makes me dislike their brand. I remember a commercial where howie long was making fun of a person using the F150's "man step" feature which actually looked pretty useful, to using 9/11 images to sell trucks.
Still, the toolbox test is damning. Even though I would put a liner in first thing, not everyone does. Ford can and should address this with thicker gauge aluminum in the bed or a factory spray in bedliner, but they probably won't.
Last edited by Chocolate; 06-10-16 at 07:31 AM.
06-10-16, 07:28 AM
#28
06-10-16, 07:37 AM
#30
Lexus Champion
