LIGHT ALLOYS TOWARDS ENVIRONMETALLY SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: 2nd GENERATION SOLUTIONS FOR ADVANCED METALLIC SYSTEMS (LATEST2)

为了避免全球变暖和我们对化石燃料的不可持续的依赖，建议到2050年将英国的二氧化碳排放量从目前的水平减少80%。航空航天和汽车制造业对英国经济至关重要，营业额为300亿英镑，雇佣了约60万名工人。预计在未来十年，运输部门对轻合金的应用将翻一番。然而，目前轻合金材料的性能和成本，以及相关的制造工艺，已经阻碍了进展。在大批量汽车生产中，聚合物复合材料对于车身结构来说过于昂贵，且难以回收利用。第一代，回收水平高，生产中的全轻合金铝和镁合金汽车价格更低，与低成本复合材料相比，可节省重量(约40%)和生命周期二氧化碳足迹。基于计算机的设计工具在工业中也发挥着越来越大的作用，并前所未有地允许优化复杂的组件体系结构，以提高质量效率。高性能合金在航空发动机应用中仍占主导地位，并将提供未来飞机设计中约30%的结构部件，在未来的飞机设计中，它们将越来越多地以更复杂的部件形状生产，并与复合材料接口。因此，为了实现进一步的减轻重量，因此需要第二代更高性能的轻合金设计解决方案，这些解决方案在使用中性能可靠，可回收利用，并具有更复杂的产品形式-以更低的成本、能源效率和制造工艺生产。随着设计的优化，通过将先进的高强度铝和镁合金的最佳属性与复合材料、层压板和廉价的钢铁产品相结合，将有可能产生性能的阶梯变化，具有成本效益、高质量效率和多材料结构。这一路线图向材料界提出了许多挑战，迫切需要研究解决以下关键问题：如何在更高性能的低成形性材料中制造更复杂的形状，同时实现所需的内部组织、纹理、表面光洁度，从而具有服务和美容性能，并具有更低的能源要求？我们如何将不同的材料，如铝和镁，与复合材料、层压板和钢结合在一起，以生产混合材料和更具质量效率和成本效益的设计？我们如何保护这种多材料结构及其界面不受腐蚀和环境退化的影响？许多需要立即关注的科学挑战的例子包括，我们如何：(I)如何捕捉材料变形机制、微观结构和织构对成形性的影响，从而使计算机模型能够用于根据部件形状和能量要求快速优化困难合金的成形；(Ii)预测和控制不同接头中有害的界面反应；(Iii)利用创新想法，如在需要的地方使用激光‘利用’板材中更易成形的微结构；(V)使用智能自修复涂层技术来保护使用中的新合金和不同接头，(Vi)缓解回收污染对氧化物阻挡涂层生长的影响等。该计划的一个高度优先事项是通过培训英国制造业所需的具有全球竞争力的多学科和创新材料工程师，帮助填补EPSRC材料研究回顾(IMR2008)中强调的冶金和腐蚀科学方面的技能缺口。该项目的影响将通过专业管理的战略性研究计划以及通过促进研究成果的国际知名度以及通过向普通公众宣传材料工程而得到加强。

To avoid global warming and our unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels, the UK's CO2 emissions are recommended to be reduced by 80% from current levels by 2050. Aerospace and automotive manufacturing are critical to the UK economy, with a turnover of 30 billion and employing some 600,000 worker. Applications for light alloys within the transport sector are projected to double in the next decade. However, the properties and cost of current light alloy materials, and the associated manufacturing processes, are already inhibiting progress. Polymer composites are too expensive for body structures in large volume vehicle production and difficult to recycle. First generation, with a high level of recycling, full light alloy aluminium and magnesium vehicles in production are cheaper and give similar weight savings (~ 40%) and life cycle CO2 footprint to low cost composites. Computer-based design tools are also playing an increasing role in industry and allow, as never before, the optimisation of complex component architectures for increased mass efficiency. High performance alloys are still dominant in aeroengine applications and will provide ~ 30% of the structural components of future aircraft designs, where they will have to be increasingly produced in more intricate component shapes and interfaced with composite materials.To achieve further weight reductions, a second generation of higher performance light alloy design solutions are thus required that perform reliably in service, are recyclable, and have more complex product forms - produced with lower cost, energy efficient, manufacturing processes. With design optimisation, and by combining the best attributes of advanced high strength Al and Mg alloys with composites, laminates, and cheaper steel products, it will be possible to produce step change in performance with cost-effective, highly mass efficient, multi-material structures.This roadmap presents many challenges to the materials community, with research urgently required address the science necessary to solve the following critical issues: How do we make more complex shapes in higher performance lower formability materials, while achieving the required internal microstructure, texture, surface finish and, hence, service and cosmetic properties, and with lower energy requirements? How do we join different materials, such as aluminium and magnesium, with composites, laminates, and steel to produce hybrid materials and more mass efficient cost-effective designs? How do we protect such multi-material structures, and their interfaces against corrosion and environmental degradation?Examples of the many scientific challenges that require immediate attention include, how can we: (i) capture the influence of a materials deformation mechanisms, microstructure and texture on formability, thus allowing computer models to be used to rapidly optimise forming for difficult alloys in terms of component shape and energy requirements; (ii) predict and control detrimental interfacial reactions in dissimilar joints; (iii) take advantage of innovative ideas, like using lasers to 'draw on' more formable microstructures in panels, where it is needed; (v) use smart self healing coating technologies to protect new alloys and dissimilar joints in service, (vi) mitigate against the impact of contamination from recycling on growth of oxide barrier coating, etc.A high priority for the Programme is to help fill the skills gap in metallurgical and corrosion science, highlighted in the EPSRC Review of Materials Research (IMR2008), by training the globally competitive, multidisciplinary, and innovative materials engineers needed by UK manufacturing. The impact of the project will be enhanced by a professionally managed, strategic, research Programme and through promoting a high international profile of the research output, as well as by performing an advocacy role for materials engineering to the general public.