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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
I
LISI AUTOMOTIVE
I
Weight gains and
environmental optimization
in the automotive industry
Weight gains are also a continuing challenge
for the automotive sector. The use of composite
materials imposed as part of the downsizing
strategies initiated by major international
manufacturers has forced LISI AUTOMOTIVE to
change several of its product families. The use of
thermoplastic composites made from fiberglass
or carbon fiber, including long runs, involves
quite a number of technological challenges for
the division. LISI AUTOMOTIVE, the preferred
partner of several research programs, both
public and private, in France and Germany, has
made significant advances on these topics. The
application to screws of austempering of steels,
which can significantly reduce the weight of the
products, has been analyzed in detail. A pilot
induction hardening facility was set up in 2011.
The results of internal studies on the behavior
of heat resistant steels, used in the hot parts
of engines (exhaust, turbo), have also attracted
the interest of customers, thereby offering
commercial potential.
Producing better while
limiting the environmental
impact
Work was undertaken more specifically in
2011 to improve the environmental impact of
products manufactured by LISI AUTOMOTIVE.
For surface treatment operations, the fifteen
months of research conducted in the context of
the IZAC project by a team of PhD students at
the Université de Franche-Comté were used to
develop an alternative to zinc-nickel, with highly
encouraging results. The restrictions announced
by REACH in 2011 on the use of nickel, chromium
and cobalt salts, have confirmed the benefits of
this strategic program initiated in 2006.
More generally, LISI AUTOMOTIVE has noted with
satisfaction that the work conducted internally
on improving the environmental impact of its
production, advanced rapidly. It is now possible
to consider the removal of certain preparation
operations carried out before the surface
treatment of parts. The results are very positive,
both environmentally and economically, and are
already included in investment projects, whose
costs they reduce.
Unique expertise
for unique
parts
Engines and equipment developed by LISI AEROSPACE’s major
customers sometimes required special customized parts, used on
a unique or restricted number basis. These parts, based on highly
specifications, are generally associated with critical functions (engine
mounts, disc or engine blade assemblies, wheels and landing gears,
helicopter rotor blade axes, etc.) and require highly specialized skills
in terms of materials, surface treatments, manufacturing processes,
control and quality monitoring. The team of engineers from the
site of Villefranche-de-Rouergue has developed in 2011 a fuse screw
for the landing gear door of the A350, supplied by Corse Composite
Aéronautique (CCA). These screws must not only withstand the forces
during the normal phases of opening and closing of the doors, but also
break to allow the exit of the landing gear when the release system is
inoperative. The development of such parts is also part of our teams’
daily activity; it relies on the experience and know-how accumulated
in particular by our European sites.