Rio Tinto unveiled Monday a new aluminum alloy that could
reduce the weight of vehicle wheels by as much as 7%, while making them
stronger 15% to 20% stronger than traditional wheels.
The world’s No. 2 miner, which is also one of the dominant
players in the global alloy market, has called its new product
“Revolution-Al” and said it’s part of its high-strength 3xx
Series Alloys.
Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio’s vice president of sales and marketing,
called the product a “clear example” of how the company aims to
deliver responsible solutions to its customers and the whole manufacturing
ecosystem.
“Our new wheel alloy is stronger, allowing designers to
make a lighter wheel, which, in turn, can make cars safer and more appealing to
end consumers, in addition to having reduced CO2 emissions,” he said in
the statement.
Revolution-Al is also supposed to improve fuel efficiency
and can be used in the making of other car’s parts such as chassis, tools, as
well as suspension and braking parts.