Since the end of the 20th century it has apparently been shown that global expansion and human activity has threatened the ecological safety margin of our planet. The aftermath of ecological disasters incurred by human beings and their products could be irreversible. It became clear that the internal-combustion engine and automotive manufacture as a whole influenced not only local environments, but also created global effects with significant consequences.
Dismantling, recycling and utilization of cars are components of the car total life cycle (TLC) and exert great influence on total ecological parameters of car during its complex interactions with human beings and nature.
AVTOVAZ Inc. (trade mark: LADA) is the biggest Russian passenger car manufacturer. It produces about 75 % of all national passenger cars. For 3 decades of its history, the factory has made more than 20 million passenger cars, 1/3 of them have been exported, mainly to European countries.
AVTOVAZ R&D Center specialists were involved in methodical analyses on dismantling of all LADA cars manufactured. The fastening elements, tools used for dismantling, and the time for dismantling were compared to the same components of different LADA models. In addition, a number of foreign cars (FIAT, OPEL, DAEWOO, RENAULT) were disassembled and studied to compare dismantling peculiarities of LADA models and foreign cars.
As a result of the work, all fastening parts were classified by groups according to their ease of dismantling. The recommendations on improving assembly/disassembly methods and fastening parts were used for the development of new LADA cars, which are planned to be produced in future.