CHAPTER III
WHY USING ALUMINIUM
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EUROPEAN ALUMINIUM ASSOCIATION
Aluminium reduces dead vehicle
weight. When transporting highdensity
freight, which usually saturates
the maximum gross vehicle
weight, aluminium allows the
loading of more goods. This
translates into additional income
and/or better competitiveness.
Furthermore, used aluminium
vehicles have a lot of success on
the second, and even third hand
market, where they are usually
sold for a very good price. Finally,
when they have reached the end
of their long service life they still
have a high scrap value. This is
due to the fact that aluminium is
easily recycled, without losing
any of its quality and saving 95%
of the primary energy input.
Make your own payback calculation
on www.alutransport.org
and have a look at the example
beside.
1. Short pay-back
1.1. Increased payload + Higher residual value = Additional incomes
A study conducted by the IFEU1
in cooperation with the TU-Graz2
concluded that 1 ton saved on
the total weight of an articulated
truck leads to a fuel saving of 0.6
litres /100 km.
This saving occurs during trips
made below the maximum gross
vehicle weight, i.e. when transporting
low-density goods, for
partly loaded or empty trips.
Aluminium’s well-known corrosion
resistance is an obvious
advantage in road transport: It
contributes to a long service life,
especially in vehicles which work
in conditions that can cause serious
corrosion problems. No
painting or other surface protection
is required and it is easy to
clean. Maintenance is therefore
kept to a minimum.
1.2. Fuel saving + long life + reduced maintenance = Cost savings
1.3. Make your own calculation on www.alutransport.org
1. Institut für Energie und Umwelt Forschung, Heidelberg, Germany
2. Technical University of Graz, Austria
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ALUMINIUM IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES CHAPTER III WHY USING ALUMINIUM 16 | 17
1.4. Coping with road tolls
According to the “user pays”
principle, an increasing number
of countries are introducing road
tolls that increase cost per kilometre.
On the other hand,
increasing payload with aluminium
allows spreading this
extra cost over a bigger tonnage
of goods.
In countries where road toll is
limited to the heaviest vehicle
category, “mini-semi-trailers” are
built using a substantial amount
of aluminium allowing the operator
to keep a good payload
while not exceeding the weight
limit where a toll is applicable.
1.5. Reduced risk of work
accident
Mobile parts that are manipulated
at each delivery, like dropside
walls or rear doors, are
lighter to move when made out
of aluminium. This saves a lot of
effort for the drivers.
Using extrusions with rounded
edges or folded sheets with round
corners for the floors of box vans
reduces the risk of injuries.
Mini-trailer (Tang Fahrzeugbau GmbH)
Road toll station
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EUROPEAN ALUMINIUM ASSOCIATION
Aluminium alloys used in commercial
vehicles have strengthto-
weight and stiffness-toweight
ratios comparable with
the most advanced metals like
high strength steel and titanium.
These properties, among many
others, are taken into account
when designing a vehicle.
No weight saving can be obtained
with aluminium if the design is
simply copied from steel.
Designs optimised for aluminium
are based on specific sections (20
to 40% higher beams), smooth
transitions and clever joints,
which normally give 40-60%
weight saving over competing
metals, as explained below.
To illustrate the upper and the
lower limits of aluminium lightweighting,
let’s analyze two
extreme equivalence philosophies
“equal strength” and
“equal stiffness” to traditional
chassis beam.
2. Aluminium performance properties
2.1. High strength-to-weight and high stiffness-to-weight ratios
Comparison of weight-optimised designs made with 3 different metals and 2 design criteria
EQUAL STRENGTH
Standard High strength Aluminium
steel steel alloy
Strength 1 = 1 = 1
Stiffness 1 > 0.30 < 0.56
Weight 1 > 0.71 > 0.42
Section height 1 > 0.65 < 1.18
EQUAL STIFFNESS
Standard High strength Aluminium
steel steel alloy
Strength 1 < 2.17 > 1.54
Stiffness 1 = 1 = 1
Weight 1 = 1 > 0.55
Section height 1 = 1 < 1.40
　
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