Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Ames, Iowa

AMES LABORATORY AWARDED RESEARCH GRANTS TO HELP BUILD NEW "SUPERCARS"

AMES, Iowa -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have recently received two federal grants related to the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) that will support research designed to piece together the next century's "supercars."

Both grants are from different areas of the DOE but together represent over $1.2 million worth of research support for the next three years. One research project will be directed at an inexpensive method of making stronger, lightweight composites for automotive components while the other project will attempt to develop new materials for torque sensors in automobile steering systems.

PNGV is an initiative between the federal government and the domestic auto industry. Among its goals is developing a car by the year 2004 that is capable of 80 mpg with the same features, level of performance and cost of ownership as today's standard passenger vehicles.

"Competition for these grants was very heavy," said Dr. Iver Anderson, an Ames Lab senior metallurgist who will lead the project related to lightweight automobile components. "We were up against other much larger laboratories and university research facilities, so these grants are a significant show of confidence by the Department of Energy in the capabilities of Ames Laboratory and our scientists."

The specific research that each grant will support is:

• A grant from the DOE's Office of Transportation Technologies for $415,000 over the next three years will fund research to develop a low-cost method to produce aluminum powder and process it with hard ceramic particles to make high performance metal composites for critical automotive engine, suspension and braking system components. As well as being much lighter in weight than steel, aluminum composites can be made just as strong and crashworthy as steel, said Anderson. However, aluminum costs about four times more than steel and takes more energy to produce and manufacture into automobile parts. Previously, such expensive aluminum parts were available only in limited numbers and used primarily in the aerospace and aircraft industries. But Anderson and his research team already have a key piece of the technological puzzle in place at Ames Lab with the recent development of gas atomization reaction synthesis, a new method for safely making cleaner aluminum powders that can streamline composite processing.
• Under a three-year, $820,000 grant from the DOE's Advanced Energy Program, Dr. David Jiles, an Ames Lab senior physicist and ISU professor, will lead a research team to develop a new type of magnetoelastic material to be used in electronic torque sensors. These materials change their magnetization under stress, which can be converted into electronic signals, whenever pressure is applied or removed. An advanced steering system using the new torque sensors would be safer, less costly and more fuel-efficient than current hydraulic steering systems used in most automobiles. Other areas the new sensors could be used include systems that provide the driver information on the car's performance, or reducing fuel consumption by monitoring drive shaft torque to identify when the engine misfires.

Released December 16, 1996

Last revision: 4/17/98 mab

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