lightweighting
Making things lighter
Lightweighting is the practice of reducing the weight of manufactured products, especially vehicles, to improve fuel efficiency or performance.
Engineers achieve this through material substitution—aluminum for steel, carbon fiber for metal—or by redesigning components: Lightweighting has become standard practice in the auto industry.
The term extends to packaging, where it means using less material for containers and bottles.
Structural support base
- powertrainVehicle propulsion system
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- wheelsCircular rotation devices
- crashworthinessVehicle's ability to protect during collisions
unibody · subframe · hood · doors · bumper · drivetrain · monocoque · A-pillar
Element twenty-two
- aluminumElement thirteen
- compositeMade of distinct parts
- thermoplasticsPlastics remoldable by heating
- polymersLarge chain-like molecules
alloys · magnesium · foam · honeycomb · laminates · resins · biomaterials · nanomaterials
Aircraft's structural body
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
- wingletsUpturned aircraft appendages
- payloadCarried freight or charge
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
spacecraft · aviation · nacelle · ribs · spars · bulkhead · radome
Potential for material recovery
- life-cycleOrganism's complete developmental sequence
- eco-designEnvironmentally mindful product creation
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- bio-basedDerived from living matter
Pushing through a die
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- prototypingMaking preliminary models
- laminationBonding sheets together
- autoclavePressurized steam sterilization chamber
CAD · simulation · tooling · forming · bonding
Sustaining structural mass
- stiffnessResistance to deformation
- durabilityResistance to wear
- ribbingAffectionate verbal teasing
- deflectionChange in trajectory
chassis
Structural support base
- powertrainVehicle propulsion system
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- wheelsCircular rotation devices
crashworthiness · unibody · subframe · hood · doors · bumper · drivetrain · monocoque · A-pillar
titanium
Element twenty-two
- aluminumElement thirteen
- compositeMade of distinct parts
- thermoplasticsPlastics remoldable by heating
polymers · alloys · magnesium · foam · honeycomb · laminates · resins · biomaterials · nanomaterials · fiber-reinforced
airframe
Aircraft's structural body
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
- wingletsUpturned aircraft appendages
- payloadCarried freight or charge
satellite · spacecraft · aviation · nacelle · ribs · spars · bulkhead · radome
recyclability
Potential for material recovery
- life-cycleOrganism's complete developmental sequence
- eco-designEnvironmentally mindful product creation
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
extrusion
Pushing through a die
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- prototypingMaking preliminary models
- laminationBonding sheets together
load-bearing
Sustaining structural mass
- stiffnessResistance to deformation
- durabilityResistance to wear
- ribbingAffectionate verbal teasing
lightweightingweighting
Assigning relative importance values
overbuilding · densification · ballasting · thickening · loading
lightweightingreinforcement
Adding support or encouragement
strengthening · over-engineering · ruggedization · fortification · hardening
light, weight, weighting, lightweight, lights, lighted, lighting, lighter, lightest