Congratulations to Israel for joining the IA-AMT!
Welcome to the official site for IA-AMT
Welcome from the Chairman
Chairman Jerry Gibbs
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Welcome to the website of the Implementing Agreement on Advanced Materials for Transportation (AMT). We are an active, enthusiastic group of materials professionals with a keen interest in developing materials solutions for the world's greatest transportation challenges. We represent 5 continents and a diversity of professional work responsibilities but share a passion for materials science and the benefit it can bring to mankind. Because transportation has such a pronounced impact on human welfare, global commerce, and environmental sustainability, we believe our work can add significant value to our native countries and the world at large. Sharing of technical information and conducting coordinated research activities for the benefit of all, is at the core of our mission.
Since 1984, the AMT has pursued a balanced program of materials characterization, test method development, and standards setting. In the early years, the emphasis was on structural ceramics for advanced high efficiency engines. The AMT has recently shifted its emphasis to a broader portfolio of advanced engineering materials that have potentially greater impacts on engine efficiency and emissions control Current technical activities are focused on developing integrated surface engineering technology, magnesium corrosion protection, composite materials development, nano-materials characterization and characterization of thermoelectric materials. Several of these activities are new and may expand in scope in the future. We are also growing in our membership. In addition to the five current member countries (Canada, China, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America), we expect to add up to four new active members by 2011. This growth in membership will enhance our technical capabilities and reinforce the vigor with which we pursue our mission.
Please use the technical information and reports this website contains. The value of our efforts can only be measured by the practical impact of our technical activities. Feel free to contact us if you need additional information about our research or regarding membership. We hope you share our commitment to the ideals of the International Energy Agency and the contributions to human prosperity that advanced materials can make.
Jerry Gibbs
U. S. Department of Energy
About IEA IA-AMT
This site describes the technical activities of the International
Energy Agency Implementing Agreement on Advanced Materials for Transportation Application. (IEA IA-AMT)
About IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an intergovernmental
body committed to advancing security of energy supply,
economic growth, and environmental sustainability through
energy policy cooperation. IEA was formed via
an international treaty of oil-consuming countries in
response to the energy crisis of the 1970s. The
governing board of the IEA, which is composed of energy
officials from each member country, regularly reviews
the world energy situation. To facilitate this
activity, each member country provides energy experts
who serve temporary staff assignments at IEA headquarters.
These staff or secretariats support the governing board
by collecting and analyzing energy data, making projections
in energy usage, and undertaking studies on specialized
energy topics. The governing board is also assisted
by several standing groups; one being the committee on
energy research and technology (CERT), which oversees
and encourages international cooperation on energy technology.
Implementing agreements (IAs) are the legal instruments
used to define the collaborative technical activities. There
are currently 40 active implementing agreements covering
research topics such as advanced fuel cells, coal combustion
science, district heating and cooling, enhanced oil recovery,
fluidized bed conversion, fusion materials, solar heating
and cooling, pulp and paper, hydropower, heat pumping
technologies, hybrid and electric vehicles, high temperature
super conductivity, wind turbines, and high temperature
materials. A complete listing can be found at
the IEA website, www.iea.org.
IA-AMT History
The IEA IA-AMT was organized in 1985
by the US Department of Energy, US Army, US National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to promote the application
of advanced materials in transportation technologies. The activity focuses
on establishing consensus on test methods and specifications
across the national boundaries so that advanced materials
will be available for rapid commercialization of energy-efficient technologies. Japan, Germany, Sweden,
and Canada joined IA-AMT to exchange materials and jointly
develop test methods to facilitate international trade
on new materials. At the beginning, there were 3 technical annexes, including Annex I on exchange
of information, Annex II on ceramic powders characterization,
and Annex III on mechanical properties of ceramics.
As an example, Annex II consists of
48 technical organizations (30 companies), all key players
in ceramics powders and component makers. They
came together from 3 continents and in 18 months,
a set of test methods and specifications for advanced
ceramic powders became available facilitating the free
flow of this important raw material, and allowing the
development of reliable ceramics for insertion into engine
technology. The test methods later became national standards
(17) and ISO standards (5). Activities in IA-AMT result
in 4 orders of magnitudes, better ceramics, and today, many
of them are used in engines (roller lifter, water pump
seals, combustion chamber liners, auxiliary power turbines,
etc.) for improving energy efficiency.
Mission of the IA-AMT
The current focus
of the IA-AMT is to promote development of new materials
technologies to improve fuel economy and durability of
transportation systems while maintaining environmental
friendliness for emissions, recyclability, and human
health and safety. Examples of these
technologies include (1) light weighting to improve fuel
efficiency without compromising safety, durability, and
comfort; fuel economy improves by 7% for every 10% decrease
in a vehicle's total weight, (2) surface engineering
including texturing coupled with advanced thin films
and lubricant chemistry for friction reduction and improved
durability; this technology has the potential of improving
energy efficiency in energy transmission components by
10-15%, (3) novel, durable coating systems for thermal,
wear and environmental management, and (4) revolutionary
materials (nanomaterials, nano-structured materials,
and nano-composites) that have the potential for weight
reduction, improved performance, and embedded functional
properties.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further
help finding information about specific IA-AMT programs,
please contact the IA-AMT
Secretariat.
Copyright © 2006-2011 www.iea-ia-amt.org
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Recent meetings and other updates
Meetings
Executive Committee meeting, Berlin - March 1, 2011
Executive Committee meeting, ORNL - Nov 10, 2010
Executive Committee meeting, Shanghai, China - June 10, 2010
Executive Committee meeting, Sunderland, United Kingdom - Dec 3, 2009
Executive Committee meeting, Paris, France - June 11, 2009
Executive Committee meeting, Singapore - Dec 1, 2008
Executive Committee meeting, Berlin, Germany, June 26, 2008
Executive Committee meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,
Dec. 14, 2007
Executive Committee meeting, Ljubljana, Slovenia,
June 11, 2007
Executive Committee meeting, NPL, London, UK,
November 6-7, 2006
Executive Committee meeting, Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
May 07, 2006
Annexes Concluded:
- Annexes I and II on ceramics were concluded in Oct. 05
- Annex III – rolling contact fatigue of ceramic roller lifters was initiated in 02 and concluded in Nov. 06
Current Active Annexes:
- Annex IV – surface texturing was initiated in 04
- Annex V – magnesium corrosion protection was initiated in Nov. 2006
- Annex VI – the development of low cost carbon fibre for automotive applications, proposal approved by Executive Committee in Jun. 2007
New Annexes under Planning:
- Nanomaterials: led by US & Canada
- Advanced coatings
Latest documents available for viewing:
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