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Cradle-to-Gate Impact Assessment of a High-Pressure Die-Casting Safety-Relevant Automotive Component

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Abstract

The mass of automotive components has a direct influence on several aspects of vehicle performance, including both fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions, but the real environmental benefit has to be evaluated considering the entire life of the products with a proper life cycle assessment. In this context, the present paper analyzes the environmental burden connected to the production of a safety-relevant aluminum high-pressure die-casting component for commercial vehicles (a suspension cross-beam) considering all the phases connected to its manufacture. The focus on aluminum high-pressure die casting reflects the current trend of the industry and its high energy consumption. This work shows a new method that deeply analyzes every single step of the component’s production through the implementation of a wide database of primary data collected thanks to collaborations of some automotive supplier companies. This energy analysis shows significant environmental benefits of aluminum recycling.

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Acknowledgements

The component object of the study was developed by Streparava SpA. The authors are grateful to Streparava SpA and Mr. Antonio Gandellini for support in providing data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy

    Silvia Cecchel, Giovanna Cornacchia & Andrea Panvini

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  1. Silvia Cecchel
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  2. Giovanna Cornacchia
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  3. Andrea Panvini
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Correspondence to Silvia Cecchel.

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Cecchel, S., Cornacchia, G. & Panvini, A. Cradle-to-Gate Impact Assessment of a High-Pressure Die-Casting Safety-Relevant Automotive Component. JOM 68, 2443–2448 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-016-2046-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-016-2046-3

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