Novelis debuts ‘ultra-high-strength' aluminum

Aluminum recycling and rolling company Novelis Inc., Atlanta, has introduced what it says is its strongest automotive aluminum product to date, Novelis Advanz 7UHS-s701.

The product, which the company describes as a “technologically advanced, ultra-high-strength material,” offers lightweighting potential of up to 40 percent compared with existing ultra-high strength, hot-formed steel solutions. Novelis says it is designed for safety-critical structural applications in passenger vehicles, such as A and B pillar reinforcements and side-impact door beams. Commercial vehicles and electric vehicles also benefit from using this material, which offers mass reduction to enable increased payload and longer battery range while still meeting all crash, loading and overall design requirements, according to the company.

"The s701 technology represents the future of high-strength material in automotive applications and offers a clear alternative to the most advanced high-strength steel products," says Philippe Meyer, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Novelis Inc. "Aluminum is already the material of choice for lightweighting, and now we are offering a solution that helps automakers design even safer, lighter and better performing vehicles."

Novelis is using its knowledge and expertise in the aerospace industry to manufacture s701. Novelis' Customer Solution Center (CSC) network will engage with automotive engineers on how to best incorporate this material on new development projects. The CSC teams have invested considerable time and resources to demonstrate the material's capabilities and the value it delivers while addressing any potential implementation questions from automakers.

The company says Advanz 7UHS-s701 allows downgauging in applications already using aluminum and offers further lightweighting possibilities. The material's targeted use in age-hardened tempers means it does not age, giving it an indefinite shelf life and providing automakers significant supply chain flexibility.

Critically important to automotive designers and engineers, the alloy is compatible with hot stamping processes. Novelis says it is actively working with hot stampers and technology partners, such as Telos Global, to further facilitate rapid aluminum adoption. Tennessee-based Telos Global specializes in conception, design, training and manufacturing associated with high-quality press hardened steel and aluminum stampings, tooling and related thermal and production equipment.

"We have been co-developing targeted hot-formed application solutions using Advanz 7UHS-s701 for some time now, delivering greater economic value through increased levels of mass reduction while meeting critical safety requirements," Rick Teague, CEO of Telos Global, says. "Launching this product into the market will now give automakers even more flexibility to engineer highly efficient, multimaterial structures."

Advanz 7UHS-s701 scrap collected during manufacturing can be fed into a closed-loop recycling system for reforming into the same products from which it was derived, Novelis says. As a result, Novelis and its customers maximize product value while minimizing environmental impact through reduced CO2 emissions and transportation costs, according to the company.