Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., says that the aluminum door panels and box panels in its new Ford F-150 pickup truck are more resistant to dents than the previous steel panels. The reason is said to be the high-strength 6000-series aluminum alloys in the panels, which are heat treated using proprietary technology “that nearly doubles the strength.” Starting with the signature fully boxed frame, Ford engineers increased the use of high-strength 70,000-psi steel from 23% to 77% of the frame. This improves stiffness and durability while reducing weight. The new frame is up to 60 pounds lighter than the previous frame.
Thanks to its high-strength military-grade aluminum-alloy body, coupled with the high-strength steel frame, the all-new F-150 is nearly 700 pounds lighter, resulting in increased towing and hauling capability and better efficiency.
“Our objective was to find materials that allowed us to design the truck to be as tough – or tougher – than the current model, yet could help it be hundreds of pounds lighter for better capability and fuel economy,” said Pete Friedman, manager, Ford manufacturing research. “Out of all the materials we tested, we carefully selected only certain grades of aluminum that met our high performance standards in all of our tests, while allowing us to trim hundreds of pounds from the truck.”
Ford engineers have also filed patent applications for spot welding methods, adhesives, and hydroforming.
