Improving Cast Solutions by Using Dedicated Material Card

Electrification and the desire for sustainable solutions present challenges, but also new opportunities for cast components. Nemak has developed a material model to describe cast alloy in more detail – including the behavior after failure, which is important for crash requirements. This material model was successfully applied and validated for a cast structural component (see image) in serial production.

The accurate material data enabled a precise prediction of component behavior and an approximation of the limits of wall thickness and material usage. The result is a weight reduction of approx. 30 % compared to the aluminum base design.

Thanks to the close development collaboration with the customer, Nemak realized a recycling rate up to 80 % for this lightweight solution. Along with the weight savings, this results in a sustainable, high performance chassis component for BEV application.