The Total Cost of Weight Revisited: An Essay on Cost as a Function of Weight in Automobiles and the Use of Shot Peening to Re

Author:  S. L. Terry, R. S. Simpson
Source:  The Shot Peener magazine, Vol 18 / Issue 2, Spring 2004
Doc ID:  2004028
Year of Publication:  2004
Abstract:  
Sydney L. Terry (Retired) Chrysler Corporation - Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. Roger S. Simpson, Advanced Material Process Corporation - Wayne, Michigan, U.S.A. Editor's Note: Even though this article was written in the late 1980's, it is a relevant review of the challenges and opportunities that face the automotive industry and the benefits shot peening can provide. Engineers have understood for years that "weight begets weight" in any efficiently designed machine. The heavier the working parts of the machine have to be to do their job, the sturdier must be the bearings and the support structure. Furthermore, the heavier the working parts are, the more severe the vibration problems become, which problems ususally require the addition of still more weight in the base and supporting structure.