Dieting: An Automotive Challenge

Automotive Industries, May, 1999 by Marjorie Sorge

The automakers have used innovative materials for years to reduce weight.

Being a lightweight isn't a bad thing in the auto industry -- as long as you're a vehicle. Since the beginning of the Horseless Age more than 100 years ago, the industry has placed great stock in creating lightweight cars and using exotic materials to accomplish that.

Take a look at the chart below showing materials used in the industry in 1928. By then the race was on to see which material would be dominant. Steel ultimately won for manufacturability reasons and still is the major material used in today's cars and trucks.

Aluminum never gave up, and is still pushing hard. Ironically, one of the best materials in terms of low mass has all but vanished from automaking. In 1920, Stout Engineering developed a 5-passenger car made of plywood on which the body weighed just 120 pounds -- far less than steel or aluminum, because the skin was structural. It ultimately failed only because the industry had not yet developed waterproof glues.

Here's a look at some other vehicles that addressed the "diet" issue into the 1950s.

Materials Used in the Auto Industry In 1928

MATERIAL          AMOUNT

Steel             5,600,000 tons
Nickel            11,500,000 tons
Aluminum          120,000,000 tons
Copper            250,000,000 lbs.
Plate Glass       65,000,000 sq. ft.
Rubber            814,000,000 lbs.
Leather           42,200,000 sq. ft.
Hardwood Lumber   975,000,000 bd. ft.
Tin               17,000 tons
Zinc              24,000 tons
Lead              148,000 tons
Cotton Fabric     299,500,000 lbs.