CITIC Microalloying Technology Center adheres to the "industry, research and research" industrial chain cooperation model to promote the development of China's niobium microalloying technology, and has made many achievements in the field of automotive lightweight. Recently, the reporter interviewed Dr. Wenjun Wang from CITIC Microalloying Technology Center and introduced the recent achievements of the center.
In terms of commercial vehicles, the center has successively developed a set of lightweight 700MPa-level beams, DP500-level wheels, and 1500MPa-level suspension leaf spring parts and components. It has also developed lightweight solutions for trailers, dump trucks, vans, and warehouse railcars. The weight of the entire vehicle can be reduced by 18% -25%. Last year, the center carried out lightweight research and development on the center axle logistics transport vehicle, and some of the successfully developed models have been put into use.
Wang Wenjun pointed out that in the development of high-strength steel and advanced high-strength steel, the microalloying element niobium has a special role. It can effectively regulate the refinement of the structure through precipitation strengthening, grain refinement, and micro-solid solution grain boundaries. , Composition and various properties, especially the matching advantage of strong toughness is obvious, currently has been used in various types of automotive steel.
Taking commercial vehicle lightweight wheels as an example, China ’s annual demand for steel wheels is about 70 million pieces, including about 40 million pieces for complete vehicles, 12 million pieces in the aftermarket aftermarket, and 18 million pieces for export. The demand for steel plates is about 1.7 million tons per year. . In this regard, the center has carried out the development of niobium-containing wheel steel plates. The finished product has good cold bending performance and good hole expansion performance, and the hole expansion rate has reached 104%.
"In the past 5 years, the output of niobium-containing commercial vehicle wheel steel has increased by 190%, which meets the demand for the development of lightweight commercial wheels." Wang Wenjun said that the center has also made more progress on lightweight wheels for commercial vehicles. Currently, the center All three finished wheels have been put on the vehicle in batches.
According to reports, the first 22.5 × 9.00 steel wheels can carry 4000 kg, and the weight of a single wheel is 42 kg. Compared with 46-48 kg of similar wheels on the market, the weight is reduced by about 4-6 kg. At present, this type of wheel has been supplied to BAIC in bulk. Fukuda. The second 22.5 × 9.00 steel wheel class carries 3550kg, and the weight of a single wheel is about 37kg. Compared with 40-42kg of similar wheels on the market, the weight is reduced by about 4kg. The finished products have also been supplied in batches to Beiqi Foton, Sinotruk, etc. OEM. The third 22.5 × 8.25 steel wheels can carry 3350kg and weigh about 31.6kg, which is lower than the 33kg wheels of Alcoa, Maxion and Accuride products. This product has been supplied to the US market and is very popular with customers.
The center also successfully developed a 42-ton lightweight dump truck, which was 1.9 tons lighter than the original dump truck. At the same time, the center made high-strength steel, design improvements and other means to make the lightweight dump trucks developed stronger, lighter and more durable. The increased abrasion resistance of the vehicle reduces maintenance costs, and at the same time increases the payload weight, bringing higher economic benefits to the user.
Wang Wenjun introduced that the lightweight dump truck developed by the center has a significant operating effect: the average actual load during the annual service life has increased by 1100 kg; the cost of ore transportation has decreased by 2.7%; the number of loadings per year has decreased by 6810; the fuel cost has decreased by 8.1%; Consumption is reduced by 7.5%; less maintenance, which is equivalent to an increase of 852 man-hours per year, the vehicle has been used continuously for 5 years, and there is no structural failure in the vehicle body and combined chassis.
In recent years, the rapid development of e-commerce has greatly promoted the rapid development of express delivery and logistics industries, and greatly increased the demand for vans. From 2010 to 2017, the output of vans increased from 300,000 to more than 700,000. In order to meet the increasing demand, users need to carry more cargo and save energy without overloading. Therefore, lightweight vehicles are required to reduce fuel consumption, reduce transportation costs, improve transportation efficiency and increase revenue. In order to meet the market demand, the center has developed this type of lightweight van, which has been mass-produced in Dongfeng commercial vehicles.
Wang Wenjun said that the center combined with the development direction of automobile lightweight, combined with the industrial chain of the upstream and downstream advantage units of the automobile industry to jointly solve the problem, using niobium microalloying technology to promote the development of automobile lightweight. In the future, the center will continue to create more value for users and contribute to energy conservation and environmental protection.