Intermet's safety component makes SUVs safer in the US

Hyderabad: Auto designers in the US, trying to provide consumers a more car-like ride and handling in sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and mini-vans, have always been uneasy with the idea of making vehicles lighter in order to achieve better mileage.

Now a new high-tech, aluminium steering knuckle, introduced by US company Intermet Corporation, one of the world''s leading independent manufacturers of cast-metal automotive components, is solving this dilemma.

The company''s engineers using an innovative aluminium casting process called pressure-counter-pressure casting (PCPC) have been able to duplicate the strength and ductility of heavy cast-iron or forged-steel chassis components, providing a 50-per cent weight savings while maintaining critical safety and performance characteristics.

Traditional light-metal casting and moulding processes sometimes have turbulent and non-uniform metal flows that create limitations in performance and manufacturing cost for certain applications. PCPC controls how molten aluminium fills a casting mould to ensure uniform metal flow, and also prevents the entrance of gases (a leading cause of porosity in the metal). This results in outstanding strength and ductility for automotive structural components, which ultimately also contributes to vehicle fuel efficiency.

Says Intermet CEO Gary Ruff: "Prior to PCPC technology, in order to provide heavier vehicles with a car-like ride and handling, automakers will have to beef up their suspensions... resulting in packaging issues and additional vehicle weight. PCPC provides a real solution to these issues, without sacrificing strength, ride or safety."

General Motors Corporation uses PCPC aluminium steering knuckles in its Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana mini-vans as well as in a number of other mid-sized cars. Recently DaimlerChrysler also asked Intermet to supply PCPC steering knuckles for its new cars.

The company is working on a number of other aluminium safety- and structural-component programmes for automakers using advanced casting techniques, in addition to PCPC.