Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has developed a tanker truck with an aluminum frame that weighs less than one made of steel, while increasing maximum load capacity,
according to Crain Communications.
Mitsubishi Fuso made the side rails of the truck's ladder frame -- the biggest and heaviest parts of a truck chassis -- out of aluminum using a variable cross section extrusion molding process.
The cross members also were extruded. The result is a frame weighing 660 pounds, or 30% lighter than a conventional steel frame. The company showed off the vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show, which ended last week.
Mitsubishi Fuso also used aluminum wheels, saving another 440 pounds.
Another big weight savings came from tires that produced a 3% improvement in fuel economy.
The goal was to keep within highway weight limits, while maximizing cargo capacity, so Mitsubishi Fuso next redesigned the bulk tank.
Because a truck's payload capacity hinges on the tank's volume, Mitsubishi Fuso gave the show model, which was designed to carry cement, a rigid ultra-light aluminum bulk tank. Conventional bulk tankers generally have steel bulk tanks with a capacity of 547.5 cubic feet.
But the show truck topped that with a capacity of 600 cubic feet. Maximum payload capacity also increased to 15.8 tons. Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi Aluminum and Mitsubishi Materials developed the frame jointly, and Mitsubishi Materials developed the tank. Kyokuto Kaihatsu Kogyo made the cargo bed.