Fatigue4Light project aims to investigate lightweight solutions adapted to the chassis part of EV to reach a 24-30% weight reduction. This will give a 12-15% weight saving from structural vehicle weight, and also increase EV safety due to reduced sprung mass. Solutions will be based on the introduction of especially developed material solutions with high fatigue performance (AHSS, stainless steel, Al alloys and hybrid metal-FRP materials), the development of new computer modelling with high fatigue prediction accuracy and new experimental methodologies that reduce the testing time. Sustainability of the proposed solutions will be continuously considered along project through an eco-design general approach. Environmental assessments through LCA, affordability based in LCC as well as social inclusion thanks to the recovery of CRMs from alternative waste streams will allow endowing Fatigue4Light into a novelty circular dimension. Attention will be given to manufacturing processes (cutting and welding) to improve the knowledge on their effect to the overall fatigue performance of chassis components. Six lab scale and industrial demonstrators will be defined to validate the proposed solutions. The fatigue model will be verified on demonstrators and then used in a virtual testing process to assess the weight reduction potential of the proposed materials, together with a redesign process oriented to lightweight the components while ensuring structural integrity. The project will reduce lead times to market due to the developed model and advanced fatigue testing methodologies and standardization will be followed. The final outcome is to give modelling and experimental tools for the lightweighting process on chassis parts subjected to fatigue. Clear and practical guidelines will be established with respect to different factors: eco design with proposed materials, advanced modelling approaches and the influence of forming processes on part performance.

The EC and national public officials are well aware of the economic importance and supply risk of Critical Raw Materials and are promoting solutions which are feasible, reliable and cost-effective to reduce this dependence. SALEMA addresses this concern for the CRM-reliant high performance Aluminium grades required in electrical vehicles. Changing the input materials required to produce these advanced alloys, SALEMA proposes a circular economy model using scrap metal as an alternative source of Critical Raw Materials and the substitution of CRM for commonly available alloying elements. These developments will be deployed in four industrial pilots (High Pressure Die Casting, Cold and Hot Sheet Stamping, and profile Extrusion), representing the most relevant processes in aluminium manufacture for lightweight automobiles. SALEMA puts together an industrially and user-driven consortium that represents the whole sector of aluminium in automotive applications, who will extensively work during 3 years to proof that the presentedmeasures are competitive, technically feasible and contribute towards circular economy strategies and sustainability goals. The project addresses in a coordinated and cooperative manner the key challenges in the different levels of the value chain: improving scrap classification and sorting systems to turn scrap into a valuable raw material; demonstrating the feasibility to substitute CRMs in alloying systems; developing recycled aluminium alloys with improved mechanical performance; optimizing High Pressure Die Casting, sheet metal Stamping and Extrusion processes in a timely and cost-efficient manner in order to ensure the adoption of the developed alloys. SALEMA will deliver 4 industrial pilots, validate the new developed Al alloys with 5 car-part demonstrations in 5 industrial case studies, which guarantees a prompt industrial deployment and take up.