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Advances in materials technology are allowing suppliers to meet three of the biggest concerns with carmakers today--reducing vehicle weight, lowering costs and improving fuel efficiency. And they are able to do so without compromising vehicle safety and performance.

New manufacturing processes and forming technologies are helping to make new materials more attractive to manufacturers on a cost basis. And thanks to the efforts of programs like the Department of Energy's Automotive Lightweighting Program, more and more companies are being introduced to new materials and new applications for materials they might have taken for granted in the past.

"For the last 70 years, mild steel was the king of the hill," says Joseph Carpenter, technology area development manager, automotive lightweighting materials, Office of Freedom Car and Vehicle Technologies at the Department of Energy. "But today, it's getting to be a horserace between materials.

"In a lot of ways, we are in an age of cars like the early 1900s," says Carpenter. "There were a variety of materials used back then--cars made of wood, cars made of steel, there were steam cars and battery cars. No one really knew at that time what the final outcome was going to be. Today, there are alternative technologies on the horizon that could change the auto industry again. We don't know for sure what the fuel cell systems will be like, or the use of hydrogen for example. As the technologies change, so will the materials. It's important for manufacturers to keep their options open."

In Carpenter's opinion, it's going to come down to costs. "Lightweighting is a priority for car makers, and so is cost reduction. There are a Jot of technically viable materials avail-able today that carmakers can choose from to meet their needs. Magnesium is growing in popularity, as are carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites," adds Carpenter. "High strength steel has been demonstrated to provide considerable weight reductions. And then there are the glass reinforced polymers and the advances in aluminum. This is really an interesting time for material usage in automobiles," says Carpenter.

As materials have evolved over the years, their usage in automobiles has changed. Following is a look at a variety of materials popular in today's automobiles and the trends that affect them.

# posted by Medical Information : 6:18 AM