Prototype magnesium alloy engine developed by CAST, CSIRO and AMT.

Australian partnership in Light Metals research

The Light Metals Flagship is working with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals and the CAST Cooperative research Centre (CRC) to develop light metals technologies that will help in the global race to make lighter, fuel-efficient cars.

• 18 August 2006 | Updated 14 October 2011

• The partnership
• Making lighter parts for cars
• Cost-effective titanium products from powder precursors
• The scientists

The partnership

This partnership, also known as a cluster, brings together the skills of Australia’s key centres in light metals research:

• Light Metals Flagship
• Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals
• CAST Cooperative Research Centre (CAST CRC).

This nationally integrated research effort will develop new technologies for processing and fabricating light metals; magnesium, titanium and aluminium. The research is focused around two themes:

• making lighter parts for cars
• cost-effective titanium products from powder precursors.

The Flagship Collaboration Fund is allocating A$2.1 million over three years to this partnership. CAST CRC and the ARC Centre of Excellence are making equivalent contributions.

The Collaboration Fund aims to engage Australia’s best researchers from universities and other research organisations to work with National Research Flagships in pursuing research priorities established by the Australian Government.

Making lighter parts for cars

The automotive industry is seeking to include more light metal components, such as engine blocks, transmission systems and wheels, in cars to reduce vehicle weight and thus fuel consumption. Globally, 50 million new cars are manufactured each year.

‘Lightweighting’ can be achieved by replacing components made from steel by equivalent parts made from magnesium or aluminium. Reducing the weight of suspension systems, in particular, contributes to both fuel efficiency and smoother ride quality.

This theme is being led by the CAST CRC. Research will focus on:

• anti-corrosion coatings for magnesium components exposed to the weather such as wheels.
• design for lightweight suspension component to optimise the performance and cost of parts made from alloys of magnesium and aluminium.

Cost-effective titanium products from powder precursors

Consolidating metal powders directly into sheet or shapes through near-net shape processing dramatically reduces fabrication costs. The direct powder route involves fewer processing steps and less material wastage than the current melting, casting and wrought processes for making metal components and products.

This theme is being led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals. Research will focus on:

• new processes for making metal alloy powders and metal hybrids, to eliminate contamination problems by developing more robust alloys
• improving the consolidation properties of metal powders, including thermo-hydrogen processing.

The scientists

Two ARC Federation Fellows are involved in the partnership, Professor Barry Muddle and Professor Peter Hodgson of Deakin University in Victoria, Australia.

Professor Muddle is Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence and will lead the research theme 'Net-shape processing of nanostructured light alloys and light metals hybrids from powder precursors'. Professor David StJohn from the CAST CRC will lead the research theme 'Design, forming and surface protection of lightweight automotive components'.

The partnership also includes Dr Matthew Barnett, a ARC QEII Fellow from Deakin University.

Read more about the Light Metals Flagship.