The Evaluation of an Adhesively Bonded Aluminum Structure in an Austin-Rover Metro Vehicle

In order to prove that the aluminum structured vehicle technology (ASVT), that was jointly developed by Alcan International and Gaydon Technology, could be used to produce satisfactory automobiles, a fleet of replica vehicles was built using the technology and was subjected to a comprehensive series of test track and road evaluation programs.

This paper describes the novel way in which six Austin Rover Metro replicas were built using the ASV technology. It then goes on to describe the tests that were performed on the vehicles and the results obtained. The tests included static torsion, 1000 mile pave (Belgian block), pothole braking, accelerated corrosion and 30 mph barrier impact.