COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF REPLACING SAE 1020 STEEL WITH 6061-T6 ALUMINIUM IN AUTOMOTIVE BODY STRUCTURES

Abstract

Vehicle mass reduction is a relevant strategy for the development of more efficient automotive structures; however, material substitution cannot be assessed solely based on differences in density. This study evaluated the preliminary technical feasibility of replacing SAE 1020 steel with 6061-T6 aluminum in automotive body structures, considering mechanical properties, stiffness, thickness, and mass. The research adopted a mixed-method approach, predominantly quantitative, and was conducted through bibliographic and documentary research, an analysis based on simplified equivalent flexural stiffness, computational modeling, and the assessment of industrial applications. The theoretical relationship obtained indicated that the aluminum section requires an approximately 43% greater thickness than the corresponding steel section to achieve equivalent flexural stiffness under the adopted conditions. For the same geometry, the mass reduction was 65.69%, whereas after the theoretical thickness compensation, the reduction was 50.94%. The industrial cases analyzed also demonstrated that the structural application of aluminum generally involves adaptations in geometry and manufacturing processes. It is concluded that 6061-T6 aluminum shows preliminary technical feasibility for specific automotive applications, provided that differences in stiffness and the specific design requirements are properly considered.