Aluminum is quite often superior to carbon steel for corrosion resistance. Also note that aluminum has been traditionally more suited for aircraft bodies and is only now being replaced by composite materials for weight and fuel efficiency. Aluminum is quite often used for engine blocks with steel sleeves lining the piston cylinders. The littoral combat ships and many corvettes used in navies are often aluminum bodies. Aluminum is often used as a substitute for copper in certain conductor applications because of its cost. There are many others where the aluminum industry is finding applications to replace steel. And when considering their success, you may want keep an eye on them for possible investment.
A aluminum car should not stand up very well in a car crash also. Also a lighter car would not drive well in a windy day. Goi g to aluminum is not the answers for efficient cars. Most of the energy produced by fuel combustion cars is lost in heat.
Commercial jets are made of aluminum. There the cost of aluminum is justified. If made of steel it would never get off the ground
The savings on fuel would go into the pockets of the car owners and not the car
manufacturers which would leave them with massive losses.
If they tried to pass this loss on to potential customers, its likely the would be customer
would choose a cheaper car instead.
The problem here is that car companies have no incentive to build efficient cars (unless they are directly competing to build the best hybrid). They merely want to save money, which makes steel more desirable.
At the shop
I know that where strength is a factor, steel wins outright. That is why it is used in construction of railways, bridges, ships, and also for nails, rock-breaking machinery, gas turbines, spacecraft(titanium steel), etc. I should think that aluminium would beat steel wherever weight was a factor, especially in fueled vehicles since a lighter car gives much better mileage. However, I've noticed that steel is still preferred over aluminium for car bodies. Is this trend changing? If not, why? I know that aluminium is more expensive than steel but in the long run doesn't the saved fuel make up for it?
