Advanced materials for automobiles

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1996 · CHEMTECH

OSTI ID:404578

Narula, C K; Allison, J E; Bauer, D R; Gandhi, H S ^[1]

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1. Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI (United States)

Quite early on, manufacturers realized that lighter automobiles (with gas and diesel engines) would be more fuel efficient and produce fewer tailpipe emissions. They also realized that burning diesel fuel at elevated temperatures (1,315 C) would result in similar improvements. However, materials limitations prevent the operation of diesel vehicles at high temperatures. The fuel efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles is currently improved by reducing the weight of the automobile and treated the emissions with a three-way catalyst. Additional improvements can be achieved with the use of advanced materials that reduce the weight of vehicles without compromising safety. The use of ceramics, fiber-reinforced plastics, and metal-matrix composites are discussed. The paper also discusses automotive catalysts and their components, electrically heated catalyst devices, a lean-burn NOx catalyst, and the future for materials chemistry.

• OSTI ID: 404578
• Journal Information: CHEMTECH, Vol. 26, Issue 11; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1996
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AUTOMOBILES
MATERIALS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
WEIGHT
DIESEL FUELS
GASOLINE
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
REINFORCED PLASTICS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
CATALYSTS