Jaguar Land Rover has revealed it is taking part in research trials to test the capability of advanced lightweight metals and composites for use in future vehicles.
As part of a two-year project, the company says it will use technology originally developed in aerospace to understand how materials respond to corrosive environments, across global markets and over rigorous terrains.
According to JLR, samples of new metals and composites will be embedded into sensors and put through their paces in some of the world’s most extreme physical conditions, over 400,000km across North America. The sensors will continuously measure the performance of the materials and share data with the JLR development team in the UK. With this information, the engineers hope they will be able to accurately forecast the materials’ behavior in production applications.
Matt Walters, lead engineer, metals and process materials for Jaguar Land Rover, explained, “This research project is a prime example of our commitment to developing lightweight, durable and robust materials for our future vehicles. Using advanced aerospace-grade technology, such as these sensors, is testament to the quality and standards we are achieving.
“We are working alongside world-class partners on this ground-breaking research project and will improve the correlation between real-world and accelerated testing as we continue to raise the bar for quality and durability.”
The research forms part of Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA), a consortium of aluminum manufacturers and car makers researching the longevity of materials and how they can be made lighter and more durable.
