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 wheels suitable for passenger car assembly in China, so the company plans to carry out fittings on newly purchased passenger cars. . Chen Shiping said that forged aluminum alloy wheels have features such as light weight, high load carrying capacity, and good dynamic balance performance. Therefore, he has been hoping to apply this technology to China after he has taken passenger cars equipped with such products abroad.
In China, the use of forged aluminum wheels on passenger cars is more common, and the number of forged aluminum wheels on passenger cars and passenger cars is relatively small. Currently, a large number of steel wheels are used.
Use aviation technology to make wheels
How big can a wheel affect the weight and load 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 forged aluminum wheels. Compared to steel rims, the forged aluminum rims have about five times the load capacity. For example, a forged aluminum wheel is deformed by 5 cm after being subjected to 71,200 kg, and a steel wheel is deformed by 5 cm when it is only subjected to 13,600 kg. Second, forged aluminum wheels are lightweight and weigh only about 1/2 the size of the steel rims. Take 22.5 x 8.25 inches of rims as an example: The rim weight is about 45 kilograms, while the forged aluminum wheels are only 24 kilograms.
Wang Wenzhi said that they are using forging technology to manufacture aluminum alloy wheels for passenger cars. Moreover, Hongxin Technology is currently one of the first companies in China to manufacture forged aluminum wheels for passenger cars and passenger cars.
Wang Wenzhi also introduced other features of forged aluminum wheels: First, to save fuel. The use of forged aluminum wheels to test 100 km of fuel saving rate saved 2 liters of oil per 100 kilometers. Second, tire wear decreased 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, safety 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 Pika, Daimler-Benz, and special-purpose vehicles manufacturing trailers and police cars are all equipped with forged aluminum wheels on vehicles. In Europe, forged aluminum wheels are fitted to trucks, trailers and coaches of Volvo, Daimler, Renault and other companies, but the ratio is smaller than that of the United States. In some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, the fitting ratio of forged aluminum wheels has also increased in recent years. “In 2005, we went to Japan to investigate, and there were few trucks and buses equipped with forged aluminum wheels. However, in 2007, we went to Japan and found that the ratio of fittings increased by about 5%. This is also true in South Korea.†Lu Naiqian, general manager of Xin Technology Co., Ltd. said.
The domestic market began to accept forged aluminum wheels
Compared with the boom in foreign markets, the market prospects for forging aluminum wheels are promising in China, but the commercial vehicle sector remains to be developed.
Bus companies have already begun to try to match aluminum forged wheels, and other companies are also optimistic about the advantages of forged aluminum wheels. Yutong's three models have been equipped with forged aluminum wheels. A model of Suzhou Golden Dragon is also equipped with forged aluminum wheels. Daikin Dragon and Shenlong also have the idea of ​​fitting aluminum forged wheels.
Not only bus companies, some domestic special car companies have also begun to try to forge aluminum wheels. Lu Naiqian told reporters that some time ago, a Xinjiang oil tanker transport company saw the company on the Internet and planned to purchase a Hongxin Technology forged aluminum wheel. “They will settle accounts.†Lu Naiqian said, “A tanker equipped with 32 aluminum rims will replace the previous rim, and the total mass of the vehicle will be reduced by more than 700 kg. Although the price of forged aluminum wheels is More than twice as many steel rings, but forged aluminum wheels can reduce fuel consumption, reduce tire wear, and soon make up for price gaps."
So how should the product be positioned in China? Chen Shiping told reporters that forging aluminum wheels can position the market in high-end car products. At the same time, because of its energy-saving features, new energy bus companies and companies wishing to improve vehicle performance can consider using forged aluminum wheels. Tian Wei, a consultant to the Wheel Committee of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, also agreed. He told reporters that the domestic high-end card and passenger car market as well as 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 aluminum wheels is only about 1/2 of that of Alcoa's similar products.
“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.