South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LS C&S) reports that its new high-strength aluminum material has been assigned an alloy number (AA8031) by the Aluminum Association (AA) of the U.S.

A press release said that LS C&S is expanding its new aluminum material business through its affiliated company, LS Alsco. AA8031 has better malleability and is more than 40% stronger than traditional aluminum materials that have been criticized for their weakness, and improved malleability. Another weakness of aluminum, where conductivity drops when strength is enhanced, has also been improved.

LS C&S projects that aluminum will replace copper in industries where lighter weight is important, such as the auto industry, since aluminum is lighter than copper and the market for aluminum will grow in the future.
Changing the conductor in automobile wiring from copper to aluminum reduces wire weight by more than 40%. The average wire weight of 25 kg per vehicle can be reduced to around 15 kg, resulting in improved fuel efficiency. The company plans to expand its supply of aluminum materials for electric cars and wind power generators through its high-strength aluminum material specialist company LS Alsco.

“Unlike patents, commercialization and the time required for commercialization serves as important review criteria for AA, which makes it difficult to obtain an alloy number,” said LS C&S Researcher Sang-gyeom Kim. “AA8031 has been commercialized for wires in vehicles manufactured by Hyundai and Kia since 2019 and its quality has been proven.”

AA provides global standards to corporations and policymakers. Over 500 alloy numbers have been assigned worldwide. Of those, 20 alloy numbers have been assigned in Asia, with Korea, Japan, and China having three, 14 and three, respectively. Those include all three for LS C&S, including Korea’s AA8031.