Tesla develops new aluminum alloy: high strength and high electrical conductivity inspired by rocket materials

A new type of aluminum alloy developed by American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has solved the problem of the material strength and conductivity can not be both. On February 11, according to professional electric vehicle media electrek, a new Tesla patent showed that the company developed a new type of aluminum alloy, which has the characteristics of high strength and strong conductivity, and can be used for die-casting electric vehicle parts.

In the patent application, Tesla described the aluminum alloy problem they are currently working on:

Commercially cast aluminum alloys can be divided into two categories, one is high strength and the other is high conductivity. For some application scenarios, for example, internal components of electric vehicles, such as rotors or inverters, are required to have both high strength and high conductivity. In addition, because these electric vehicle components need to be formed by a casting process, forged alloys cannot be used.

"We want to manufacture parts through a casting process so that the parts can be cast quickly and reliably, such as through a high-pressure die casting process. After casting, a suitable alloy must fully maintain its performance to meet the necessary applications. Poorly castable alloys often Hot tearing is observed and can cause filling problems, which usually reduces the mechanical and electrical properties of the end castings. "Tesla wrote in the patent document.

Therefore, Tesla is trying to create alloys with high strength and high electrical conductivity while resisting hot tearing for use in die-casting drive unit components.

Tesla claims that the yield strength of its new aluminum alloy can be adjusted from 90 MPa to 150 MPa, and its electrical conductivity can reach 40% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) to 60% IACS. In contrast, the yield strength of the A356 aluminum alloy is greater than 175 MPa, but its electrical conductivity is about 40% IACS. In contrast, the electrical conductivity of 100.1 aluminum alloy is greater than 48% IACS, but the yield strength is less than 50MPa.

They also claim that the new aluminum alloy can support die casting: "In one embodiment, the alloy has proper fluidity to ensure proper forming, so that the alloy can resist hot tearing and maintain the required yield strength when the casting is solidified. "In 2016, there were media reports that Tesla and the rocket manufacturing company SpaceX established a materials engineering team to develop advanced new materials. At the time, the founders of the two companies, Elon Musk, hired Apple ’s alloy expert Charles Kuehmann to lead the work of the materials engineering team.

Tesla said that they are inspired by Space X's high-tech manufacturing process. For example, Space X is used for rocket welding of aluminum fuel tanks (stir welding), and they apply their technology to automobiles.

Previously, Tesla's materials engineering team had announced the development of new glass products that can be used in Tesla's solar roof tiles, Tesla semi-autonomous trucks, and Tesla Model 3 models.

Some analysts believe that from the large amount of aluminum used in Tesla Model S and Model X, it can be seen that the new aluminum alloy material will be widely used in its products in the future. At present, Model 3 models are mainly based on steel materials. At the same time, super alloys will also be the focus of Tesla's application. This material can be used on the contact shell of Tesla's upgraded battery pack.

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