Lightweight electric vehicle assembly by friction stir welding (EVASTIR)
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Högskolan Väst |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 795 000 |
| Project duration | November 2019 - March 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | FFI - Sustainable Production |
| End-of-project report | 2019-03114svensk.pdf(pdf, 1256 kB) (In Swedish) |
Purpose and goal
The EVASTIR project supported the Swedish automotive industry with the transition from internal combustion engine to battery electric vehicles, while introducing new sustainable manufacturing processes. This project developed a welding process, FSW, to support design and fabrication a cost-effective, scalable, lightweight and crash-resistant battery tray for electric vehicles. The specific technical objectives of this project are to develop FSW procedures for dissimilar material joints of cast and extruded aluminium alloys and for high speed welding to 5m/min.
Expected results and effects
FSW has proven to be a clean, safe, durable and reliable joining process, which provides excellent mechanical properties in aluminum alloys including sheet and die-cast alloys . The process meets all requirements for increased use in the automotive industry. Introduction of high-speed FSW in volume production in Sweden is expected to scale up and strengthen the production of lightweight battery packs for electric cars. The achieved welding speed over 4 m/min, means an effective productivity improvement of 100% compared to existing manufacturing system in automotive production.
Planned approach and implementation
Work package (WP) 1 focused on the development of the welding process for different alloys and joint configurations. WP2 focused on the design of battery boxes. WP3 addressed productivity, cost and durability requirements by comparing FSW with other manufacturing methods such as laser welding or arc welding. WP4 gathered the developed welding and product design knowledge into a project demonstrator, which shows the production of a representative battery tray by FSW.