Commercial vehicle companies began to adopt freshly forged aluminum wheels
Recently, Chen Shiping, deputy general manager of Shanghai China Travel Motors Co., Ltd., revealed in an interview with a reporter from Commercial Automotive News that he had found domestic forged aluminum alloy wheels suitable for passenger car assembly in China. Therefore, the company plans to carry out the new purchase of passenger cars. Fitting. Chen Shiping said that the forged aluminum alloy rim has the characteristics of light weight, high bearing capacity and good dynamic balance performance. Therefore, he has been hoping to apply this technology to the domestic market after he has taken a passenger car equipped with such products abroad.
It is understood that in China, the application of forged aluminum wheels on passenger cars is more common, and the number of passenger cars equipped with forged aluminum wheels is relatively small. Currently, a large number of steel wheels are used.
Use aviation technology to make wheels
How much influence can a wheel have on the weight and load carrying capacity of the vehicle?
Wang Wenzhi, chairman of Zhejiang Hongxin Technology Co., Ltd., gave an example: During the landing process, the speed of the aircraft was about 240 kilometers per hour. When the aircraft landed on the runway, each wheel suffered an impact of 17 tons. It is a forged aluminum rim. The forged aluminum rim has a load carrying capacity of about 5 times that of a steel rim. For example, a forged aluminum rim is deformed by 5 cm after being subjected to 71,200 kg, and the steel ring is deformed by 5 cm only when it is subjected to 13,600 kg. Secondly, the forged aluminum rim is light in weight and only weighs 1/2 of the steel ring. Take the 22.5×8.25 inch rim as an example: the weight of the steel ring is about 45 kg, while the forged aluminum rim is only 24 kg.
Wang Wenzhi said that they are using aviation technology to manufacture truck passenger cars forging aluminum rims. Moreover, Hongxin Technology is one of the first companies in mainland China to manufacture aluminum rims for truck and bus forging.
Wang Wenzhi also introduced other characteristics of forged aluminum rims: First, save fuel. Using a forged aluminum rim for 100 km test the fuel saving rate saves 2 liters of oil per 100 km. Second, tire wear is reduced by 26%. Because the characteristics of forged aluminum wheels are not easy to be deformed and the heat is dissipated, the wear of the tires is greatly reduced, so that each tire can run 5 to 80,000 kilometers. Third, the security is good. Because of its superior thermal conductivity and structure, forged aluminum wheels can dissipate the heat generated by the tires and chassis into the air. Even in the case of long-distance high-speed driving or continuous braking on a downhill road, the tire can maintain the proper temperature and reduce the puncture rate.
Because of this, the passenger car forged aluminum wheels are widely used in foreign countries. In the Americas, the fitting rate of forged aluminum wheels on commercial vehicles is high. Australia, South Africa, Brazil, the United States, and Canada are all major demanders for forging aluminum wheels. Vehicle companies including Pekka, Daimler-Benz and special-purpose vehicles that produce trailers and police cars are equipped with forged aluminum wheels on the vehicles. In Europe, Volvo, Daimler, Renault and other companies also have forged aluminum rims on trucks, trailers and buses, but the proportion is smaller than the United States. In some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, the fitting rate of forged aluminum rims has also increased in recent years. “In 2005, we went to Japan to investigate. There are very few trucks equipped with forged aluminum wheels. But in 2007 we went to Japan and found that the fitting rate has increased by about 5%. This is also true in Korea.” Zhejiang Hong Lu Naiqian, general manager of Xin Technology Co., Ltd. said.
The domestic market began accepting forged aluminum rims
Relative to the popularity of foreign markets, the market prospect of forged aluminum rims is promising in China, but the commercial vehicle sector has yet to be developed.
It is understood that there are already bus companies that have begun to try to fit forged aluminum rims, and another part of the company is also optimistic about the advantages of forged aluminum rims. The three models of Yutong have been equipped with forged aluminum rims. One model of Suzhou Jinlong is also equipped with forged aluminum rims. Dajinlong and Shenlong also have the idea of fitting forged aluminum rims.
Not only passenger car companies, but also some special-purpose car companies in China have begun to try to forge aluminum wheels. Lu Naiqian told reporters that some time ago, a tank truck transportation company in Xinjiang saw the introduction of the company on the Internet and planned to purchase the forged aluminum rim of Hongxin Technology. “They will settle the accounts.” Lu Naiqian said, “A tanker is equipped with 32 aluminum wheels, replacing the previous steel ring. The total mass of the whole car will be reduced by more than 700 kilograms, although the price of forged aluminum wheels is The steel ring is more than twice as large, but the forged aluminum rim can reduce fuel consumption and reduce tire wear, and will soon make up for the price gap."
So how should the product be positioned in China? Chen Shiping told reporters that forged aluminum rims can position the market on high-end car products. At the same time, due to its energy-saving characteristics, new energy bus companies and companies wishing to improve vehicle performance can consider using forged aluminum rims. Tian Hao, consultant of the China Automobile Industry Association Wheel Committee, also holds the same view. He told reporters that the domestic high-end truck and bus market and the export market are the main directions for the development of forged aluminum wheels.
“At the same time of ensuring quality, cost-effectiveness is a user's focus. This is exactly where the competitiveness of domestic aluminum forging wheel manufacturers is.” Chen Shiping said he had considered Alcoa when looking for suppliers of forged aluminum wheels. However, its price is too high, and now the price of Hongxin Technology aluminum rim is only about 1/2 of that of Alcoa.
“According to the current situation, the ratio of aluminum wheels and steel rims for commercial vehicles in the world is 1:1, but from the perspective of development, forged aluminum wheels will be more widely used because of their energy saving and high safety performance. Application, "said Tian Wei.
