#CAR BODY DESIGN PATENT PROFESSIONAL#
The functional design and development of a modern motor vehicle is typically done by a large team from many different disciplines included within automotive engineering, however, design roles are not associated with requirements for Professional or Chartered-Engineer qualifications. Standing by the scale model's left front fender is Dick Teague, an automobile designer at American Motors Corporation (AMC).Īutomotive design is the process of developing the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles, including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. In one embodiment, the alloy has the proper fluidity to ensure that the alloy wets the entire length of a mold and the mold is properly formed, and such that the alloy resists hot-tearing and retains the desired yield strength when the cast solidifies.Designers at work in 1961.
They also claim that the new alloys can support die casting:
In comparison with the numbers listed above, Tesla claims that its new aluminum alloys can be tweaked to achieve yield strength of 90 MPa to 150 MPa and electrical conductivity of 40% IACS up to 60% IACS. Therefore, Tesla is trying to create alloys with high-yield strength and conductivity while being resistant to hot tearing in order to be used in die casting drive unit components. Poor castability of the alloy often results in observed hot tearing, and can cause fill issues which typically decreases the mechanical and electrical properties of the end cast part. After casting, suitable alloys must maintain their properties sufficiently for the necessary application. Rather, it is desirable to form the parts through a casting process, such that the parts may be cast quickly and reliably, such as through a low pressure and high velocity metal injection or a high pressure die casting process. Further, because it is desired to form these electric-vehicle parts through a casting process, wrought alloys cannot be used. For certain applications, for example, parts within an electric vehicle like a rotor or an inverter, both high strength and conductivity are desired. Conversely, the 100.1 aluminum alloy has a conductivity of greater than 48% IACS, but a yield strength of less than 50MPa.
For example, the A356 aluminum alloy has a yield strength of greater than 175 MPa, but has a conductivity of approximately 40% IACS. In the patent application, Tesla describes the problems with the current aluminum alloys that they are trying to solve:Ĭommercial cast aluminum alloys fall into one of two categories - either possessing high-yield strength or possessing high conductivity. Now we learn of new materials developed by the Tesla materials team led by Kuehmann: new aluminum alloys for die casting.Ī new Tesla patent application reveals the new alloys.
It started in 2016, when we reported in an exclusive story that Elon Musk hired Apple’s alloy expert Charles Kuehmann to lead materials engineering at both of his companies simultaneously. They have been building material engineering teams to develop new advanced materials for their respective products. We previously reported that Tesla and SpaceX are partnering up to create new materials to use on Earth and in space. Tesla has invented new aluminum alloys that can maintain high-yield strength and high conductivity while still being used for die casting electric car parts, according to a new patent filing.