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-->NATT Quarterly -- Spring 1998

FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

BY GARY MCVAY

NATT DIRECTOR

Welcome to the first edition of NATT Quarterly. In some ways, it seems like only yesterday that we were assembled in Seattle for the NATTkickoff conference. Yet here we are, only half a year later, with so much to tell you about: a new supercomputer, exciting projects in all the major thrust areas, and a slew of RFPs ready to go out.

I'm sure you share my belief that the Northwest is unique, blessed with rich minds and resources. We will surely play a pivotal role in developing lightweight materials--and methods to cost-effectively manufacture components from them--for our future transportation needs. NATT is currently focused on PNGV, but will expand into heavy vehicles next year. It is my hope that NATT delivers the technologies the Big Three auto manufacturers and heavy vehicle producers need to keep the transportation industry rolling into the next millennium.

Keep your eye on NATT Quarterly. We'll keep you posted on our progress.

SHIFTING INTO HIGH GEAR: LEAD PROJECTS AT NATT
Stand back--the wheels under the car of the future are really starting to move. In FY '98, NATT is accepting more bids on even more projects. According to NATT Director Gary McVay, there are projects already under way in the aluminum and magnesium focus areas. "But this year, we'll be expanding that activity by going out for more RFPs in aluminum and magnesium, plus polymer composites," he said. "We'll broaden our project base by covering new topics." For example, in mid-January, NATT signed a new contract with Northwest Aluminum Co., based in The Dalles, Ore., to develop low-cost primary aluminum.		According to Ed Courtright, manager of Advanced Materials Technologies, NATT contracted with MC-21(Metal Composites for the 21st Century) in October. MC-21 is a San Diego-based company that is "in the process of building an innovative,100 pound mixing unit that will put ceramic particles into aluminum alloy. We expect to see a demo of this, showing that the technology works, by May," Courtright said. McVay says he’d like to see team bids on major projects, which are slated for development over a three to five year term. For more information on the current NATT RFPs, check Commerce Business Daily, or call Gary McVay at (509) 375-3762.

	Metal matrix composites are another promising area where work is well under way. Brake rotors will be evaluated first, because researchers say if you can come up with a process to make them, it typically applies to other components.

PNGV and NATT--We're in this together.

In 1993, an unprecedented alliance was formed--the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). PNGV is comprised of seven federal agencies, national labs, universities, the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) and the Big Three automakers. PNGV wants to wrap the best minds around a singular problem: developing and producing a car with very high fuel efficiency that's also clean and affordable.

And that's where NATT comes in. As you know, developing new lightweight materials will play a critical role in making PNGV cars a reality.

According to Dr. Allan E. Murray, PNGV technical planning manger at Ford Motor Co., NATT is in a position to support PNGV's goals. He sees the two working to achieve "a close partnership, a close alliance."

In a January interview, Murray told NATT Quarterly, "We're expecting NATT to put together a program with their partners that will meet the research objectives of PNGV. We're ultimately interested in technology we can apply to the new generation of vehicles. We want research to be more than academic, we want technology we can apply to real-word products, and that will work well with the auto industry."

Does NATT have the unique capabilities to meet that challenge? "You bet we do," said NATT Manager Gary McVay. "NATT understands exactly what needs to be done, and together with PNGV, we're right on track."

NATT'S NEW IBM COMPUTER: THE REAL BRAINS OF THE OPERATION

If "Adam" was the first human, according to the Bible, then "ADAM" might be the first place to turn when designing components for the car of the future, according to NATT.

ADAM stands for Advanced Design And Modeling, and it’s a $10 million, 17-frame supercomputer IBM donated to NATT. According to Tony Hess, a NATT technical coordinator, "With 128 processors, the computer is one of the 50 fastest in the country." He adds that ADAM's computational capacity will allow NATT scientists and engineers to do modeling and simulations on both the lightweight materials manufacturing process and the product performance--quickly and easily.

Hess says ADAM arrived at PNNL in late September of 1997, packed in two semitrucks. Just plugging in all the cables took about nine days! The installation process was so complex,

Hess says researchers only started using ADAM in late January. Marc Analysis codes are expected to be put in by the end of February.

For more information on ADAM and how to access it, contact Tony Hess at (509) 375-2052 or e-mail him at ac_hess@pnl.gov.

A FIVE-PRONGED ATTACK:

NATT'S FOCUS AREAS

NATT has its work cut out for it, but to keep that work organized, we're proceeding in five focus areas: aluminum, magnesium, titanium, polymer composites--and the newest one, glass. Projects within these five areas may change over time, but the focus areas themselves will remain constant until we reach our goals.

Mark Smith is heading the aluminum focus area. According to Smith, "Aluminum has been selected by PNGV as the principal body structural material that can meet weight, cost and schedule goals established for the 80 mpg vehicle. But that doesn't mean we don't have significant challenges ahead." As in most of the focus areas, reducing the cost of producing the material--then manufacturing it--is the name of the game.

Russ Jones is doing double duty in the focus areas of magnesium and titanium. He says that magnesium could replace aluminum in certain engine and body components, but first, the cost of both the alloys and the manufacturing must come down. He expects RFPs to go out in April. Titanium, on the other hand, is an aerospace material that's not competitively priced for use in cars. It could eventually be used in engine and suspension components and exhaust systems.

If we're talking about the polymer composite focus area, we're talking about Jud Virden's territory. He'll head up the effort to develop thermal plastic composite sheets and forming processes, and make them competitive with sheet metal. Look for thermal plastic polymer composites in the fenders, brackets and body panels of cars.

Finally, this may come as a surprise to you, but glass accounts for about 10 percent of the weight in the typical car. According to Mohammed Khaleel, who's overseeing the glass focus area, NATT will pursue several projects aimed at reducing the weight and increasing the thermal efficiency of glass. Khaleel says he expects to have an RFP out in mid-February.

GLOBAL WARMING IS A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE

All the talk we've been hearing lately about global warming isn't just hot air.It's an important part of NATT's overall strategy.

In December, the nations of the world met in Kyoto, Japan to address global climate change. In his State of the Union address, President Clinton said the U.S. should try to find technological solutions to global warming.

NATT is already on board where that's concerned. As you know, the new generation of vehicle is being designed with three very eco-friendly goals in mind: greater fuel efficiency, lower emissions and increased recyclability. Those goals are all the more critical when you consider that statistics show 40 percent of the greenhouse gases in some areas of the country are caused by vehicle emissions.

You may remember that Secretary of Energy Federico Pena stressed environmental concerns in his keynote address at the NATT kickoff conference last August. He said, "When we announced the formation of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles back in September of 1993, it was an important part of the administration's energy and environmental strategies. Now that climate change has taken on such international prominence, the work of PNGV becomes even more critical."

NATT'S VISION

The Northwest Alliance for Transportation Technologies (NATT) is a partnership working to address specific transportation goals through research and development. NATT takes the best of what the Northwest has to offer--national laboratories, research universities, the Boeing Co., truck makers, lightweight metal manufacturers and abundant, low-cost power--and puts it all together in a non-competitive alliance. NATT's initial mission is to assist the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), a presidential initiative for developing the car of the future--one with three times the fuel efficiency, greatly reduced emissions and 80 percent recyclability.

We plan to keep you updated on NATT happenings through NATT Quarterly. If you have any news we should know about, contact Wendy Stidmon, (509) 375-3676.

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Last Updated: June 24, 2002