Alcoa has rolled out the most advanced aluminum alloy for truck wheels, opening the door for lighter, stronger, corrosion-resistant wheels. Alcoa invented the forged wheel, shown here, and has remained the industry leader for 65 years.
Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products says it has rolled out the most advanced aluminum wheel alloy in 45 years with a new material called MagnaForce that opens the door for lighter-weight wheels at increased strength.
The new material has the same corrosion-resistant characteristics as the industry standard, also made by Alcoa. Alcoa expects to introduce a new, state-of-the-art wheel featuring the alloy in early 2014.
Unveiled at the American Trucking Association Management Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., the MagnaForce lightweight alloy is on average 16.5% stronger than the industry standard, Alcoa's 6061 alloy, in similar applications. Alcoa will use the material to manufacture wheels for commercial transportation, where lighter weight products that increase fuel efficiency are in high demand, notes Alcoa.
"Alcoa is making truck wheel history with our innovative aluminum material," says Tim Myers, president, Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products.
"No manufacturer has produced a wheel with an alloy superior to Alcoa's 6061 material. Our MagnaForce alloy today opens the door to production of the strongest, lightest wheels to increase fleet payload, improve fuel efficiency and enhance sustainability."
Alcoa has been the industry leader since inventing the forged aluminum wheel in 1948 using an alloy it had developed for the aerospace industry. In 1968, Alcoa set the industry standard again when it launched its 6061 alloy for forged aluminum wheels.
Alcoa's 6061 material provided a strong, durable alloy, resistant to corrosion that is used to this day by all major forged-aluminum wheel manufacturers. During that time, Alcoa's experts have continually met increasing demands for lighter-weight wheels, engineering products that today are 10 pounds lighter than wheels from 20 years ago, using the same alloy.
