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Dave Wilkinson, materials science and engineering.
Dave Wilkinson
You won’t see a new car roll out of the McMaster Centre for
Automotive Materials. But much of the know-how for making light-weight,
high-strength parts for tomorrow’s vehicles is being developed
at the Centre, says director Dr. Dave Wilkinson, materials science
and engineering.
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Along with industry partners Alcan Aluminum, General Motors,
Dofasco and Stelco, he is examining new uses for aluminum
and high-strength steels for auto body parts. “The idea
is to produce materials of high strength and light weight
that allow you to decrease the weight of the body frame and
all the other components of the vehicle.”
Dr. Wilkinson is working with Alcan on a cheaper method of
producing aluminum for car parts. Called thin strip casting,
the method is expected to eliminate steps in processing aluminum,
which currently costs more to make than steel.
“Our research is really attempting to define and understand
the underlying science behind the whole process from solidification
to rolling to forming of parts,” says Dr. Wilkinson.
He is also working with Inco in studies of new materials for
rechargeable batteries in electric hybrid cars.
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