Cheaper, Stronger, Lighter Steel

[John Painter]

isn't 'flame spraying' cylinder walls "new(er) technology"?

No.

 

[John Painter]

If this stuff lets EM save 100 pounds a car and costs less, it could be from Tomorrowland or scraped up out of King Tuts tomb for all I care. If it helps meet those "musts" -- and it sounds as if this stuff helps with all three -- PE needs to know about it ASAP -- assuming he doesn't already know.

It might indeed be a good option down the road, after it has been completely vetted by the big manufacturers who can take a hit if there's any issues with it in automotive applications.

 

[Ty]

When Paul said "No new technology", he meant "No unproven technology that isn't already in use". He clarified later.

 

[Adamant]

Will be interesting to see how (or if) supercars will use this metal. Should make them able to go even faster.

 

[Adamant]

When Paul said "No new technology", he meant "No unproven technology that isn't already in use". He clarified later.

I thought he meant they weren't going to include anything that could become obsolete within a short period of time. (like GPS)

 

[slinches]

In this case, I think whether it's new technology or not is irrelevant. Since the machines that do the flash heat treat aren't standard foundry equipment at this point, it would require someone investing in that hardware. No sane foundry would commit to that for a startup. If one of the big established guys buys in first, then EM might be able to take advantage of any spare capacity.

And this tech really isn't very meaningful for supercars. There are already materials that grossly outperform this steel in both strength and ductility. They're just several times more expensive and therefore only ever used in supercars and aerospace applications.

 

[BADBOY]

not sure I want a car weighing much less than 1250 we have now. My CAT boat 1 BADBOY weighed in at 1200 pounds and it flew across waves at 80 mph

 

[Sethodine]

Maybe the Elio model 2 can use this steel to offset the added weight of the EV battery

 

[Ekh]

Apparently the weight savings vary with the application, but the examples shown on the website seemed to be about 1/3 lighter than conventional steel or other comparable materials. You couldn't use the stuff everywhere, of course, not in a vehicle that's a space frame covered in composite, but I bet you could use it in enough places to save a hundred or more pounds -- which can translate to better city mileage. Someone else can work the math -- but how much would you have to reduce the vehicle weight to get 2 mpg more at city speeds? If the cost is lower as well, that makes it worth some risk and investment to use the material -- assuming the Big 3 trials continue to look good.

If that's the case, I wouldn't wait around for Elio 2.0 when there's so much to be gained by early adoption.

 

[slinches]

I was just thinking and this type of heat treatment would have limited advantages in welded assemblies like the Elio frame. The added strength and ductility would be wiped out within the heat affected zone of the joints and since this is a linear feed process, the assembly couldn't be heat treated post-weld. This would mean you'd have to reinforce any joints with thicker material, which adds cost and weight back in.