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www.ADandP.media AD&P; ∕ JANUARY 2016 NOTABLE walter-tools.com/us Fully integrated efficiency Faster, more efficient, more cost-effective. In an increasingly competitive global market, auto- motive suppliers encounter clear demands. And they also encounter three suitable solutions. Walter Valenite, Walter Titex, and Walter Prototyp. Professional high-tech tools and operating solutions for the complete machining process, developed by competence leaders with real auto- motive expertise and yielding impressive results. From highest dimensional accuracy, excellent surface quality and an increase in productivity of up to 100 % to extremely long service lives, short processing times and minimal component costs. This is how we define efficiency – fully integrated into our client's processes. In order to reduce the mass of the Ford GT, the company worked with Corning to develop a Gorilla Glass hybrid window laminate that saves about 30% of the weight of traditional glazing. the Ford GT. (The side glass isn't the hybrid material.) Thai-Tang explains that there are three key aspects that Ford designers, developers and engineers have concentrated on as they ready the Ford GT for this year's Le Mans: • Powertrain • Aerodynamics • Lightweighting And it is for this third category that the hybrid glass structure comes into play, as does the carbon fber and aluminum materials that are used for the Ford GT*. In this case, Thai-Tang says that the weight reduction provided by the hybrid glass structure is going to be on the order of 30%, or 12 lb., compared with conventional annealed glass laminate. According to Paul Linden, Ford body exterior engineer who worked on the project, the Ford GT glass is "the lightest automotive glass in production." The sandwich consists of a 2.1-mm thick soda- lime glass outer, a 0.76-mm acoustic polyvinyl butyral (PVB) middle, and a 0.7-mm Gorilla Glass (an aluminum silica material) inner. Why have the strong, scratch resistant material on the inside rather than on the outside? Linden acknowledges that this seems counterintuitive, but they discovered through projectile testing that they needed fexibility on the outside surface and the strength on the inner. The hybrid glass is anywhere from 25 to 50% thinner than conventional laminate, which accounts for the weight save. According to Corning, the automotive-grade Gorilla Glass, which it worked with Ford on developing, is, pound-for- pound, fve-times stronger. Another interesting aspect of the material is that unlike conventional automotive foat glass, there are no optical draw lines on the material. Not only does this facilitate making a steep windshield for the Ford GT, but the optical clarity also facilitates using the surface for a heads-up display screen. Thai-Tang acknowledges that the Ford GT represents limited production. He points out that for volume cars like the Focus, the glass system is on the order of 80 lb. and it is about 100 lb. for an Explorer SUV. Clearly, saving some 30% of that mass would be exceedingly important as Ford pursues more weight-down efforts as the 2025 CAFE regulations become ever-closer. And while Gorilla Glass may seem to be a niche material, realize that before the 2015 Ford F-150, so did aluminum.—GSV *It is worth noting, however, that the mass reduction provided by the material means that other aspects of the vehicle can be downsized, which makes the engine have to move less mass overall, and the formability of the glass allows a fast windshield rake for aero. 13