Automotive Lightweighting Using Advanced High Strength Steels

Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) are a family of steels that are stronger than most steels and have better formability than today’s conventional high-strength steels. New U.S. safety and fuel economy regulations have intensified pressure on OEMs to reduce vehicle weight. These pressures are causing auto companies to rethink alternative material applications and to look for opportunities that steel offers. The purpose of this book is to provide information for engineers who are designing the next generation of lighter vehicles. The material in the book is presented to help them make informed decisions on what basic materials to use and how to optimize those materials to achieve cost-effective weight reduction. The emphasis is on steels in general and AHSS in particular. However, there is much information on comparisons of steel with alternative materials for different subsystems of the vehicle. To support the latest automotive challenges in terms of weight reduction, this book lays out the opportunities for alternative material use in automobiles and offers the most up-to-date design guidance in efficient architectures that use AHSS. It simultaneously explores weight savings and resulting fuel economy advantages of a strategic usage of AHSS. Realistic comparisons with other alternative materials are made through detailed analyses. It also offers test cases that demonstrate how AHSS technology has developed. The focus of the text is on body and chassis structures and the sheet metal of which these systems are primarily made. More of the content addresses the automotive body, as this is where most of the AHSS are being applied today. The past, present, and future of AHSS are covered, as well as competing technologies such as aluminum sheet metal.

Examines the types, microstructures and attributes of AHSSAlso reviews the current and future applications, the benefits, trends and environmental and sustainability issues.

Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) are a family of steels that are stronger than most steels and have better formability than today’s conventional high-strength steels. New U.S. safety and fuel economy regulations have intensified pressure on OEMs to reduce vehicle weight. These pressures are causing auto companies to rethink alternative material applications and to look for opportunities that steel offers. The purpose of this book is to provide information for engineers who are designing the next generation of lighter vehicles. The material in the book is presented to help them make informed decisions on what basic materials to use and how to optimize those materials to achieve cost-effective weight reduction. The emphasis is on steels in general and AHSS in particular. However, there is much information on comparisons of steel with alternative materials for different subsystems of the vehicle. To support the latest automotive challenges in terms of weight reduction, this book lays out the opportunities for alternative material use in automobiles and offers the most up-to-date design guidance in efficient architectures that use AHSS. It simultaneously explores weight savings and resulting fuel economy advantages of a strategic usage of AHSS. Realistic comparisons with other alternative materials are made through detailed analyses. It also offers test cases that demonstrate how AHSS technology has developed. The focus of the text is on body and chassis structures and the sheet metal of which these systems are primarily made. More of the content addresses the automotive body, as this is where most of the AHSS are being applied today. The past, present, and future of AHSS are covered, as well as competing technologies such as aluminum sheet metal.

Welding and Joining of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS): The Automotive Industry discusses the ways advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are key to weight reduction in sectors such as automotive engineering. It includes a discussion on how welding can alter the microstructure in the heat affected zone, producing either excessive hardening or softening, and how these local changes create potential weaknesses that can lead to failure. This text reviews the range of welding and other joining technologies for AHSS and how they can be best used to maximize the potential of AHSS. Reviews the properties and manufacturing techniques of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) Examines welding processes, performance, and fatigue in AHSS Focuses on AHSS welding and joining within the automotive industry

Automotive Steels: Design, Metallurgy, Processing and Applications explores the design, processing, metallurgy, and applications of automotive steels. While some sheet steels are produced routinely in high volume today, there have been significant advances in the use of steel in the automotive industry. This book presents these metallurgical and application aspects in a way that is not available in the current literature. The editors have assembled an international team of experts who discuss recent developments and future prospects for automotive steels, compiling essential reading for both academic and industrial metallurgists, automotive design engineers, and postgraduate students attending courses on the metallurgy of automotive materials. Presents recent developments on the design, metallurgy, processing, and applications of automotive steels Discusses automotive steels that are currently in the early stages of research, such as low-density and high modulus steels that are driving future development Covers traditional steels, advanced high strength steels, elevated Mn steels and ferrous composite materials

Advanced high strength steels (AHSSs) for auto-making are primarily produced by rolling, plus heat treatment technologies if necessary. However, due to the metallurgical complexity of AHSSs, it is impossible to roll all of the AHSS grades in a rolling mill with the same rolling technology. Each of AHSSs has unique applications in vehicles, and specified rolling technologies are required to produce high quality AHSS products where they might be the best employed to meet performance demands of the automotive parts. Such background has prompted the publication of this scholarly book in the area of rolling of AHSSs with a purpose of providing readers with a valuable technical document that can be used in the research and development of AHSSs for automotive and other manufacturing industries. With contributors from USA, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Australia, China, India and Iran, the book highlights the latest advances in rolling technologies of AHSSs. It focuses on the theory, simulation and practice of the rolling of AHSSs: The book introduces the history, types and advances of AHSSs and their processes; proposes new theory that is applicable to the rolling of AHSSs, presents mathematical and numerical modelling of AHSSs in rolling; covers thermomechanical processing technologies of AHSSs; provides case studies on the rolling practice of the most popular AHSSs and includes other rolling-related technologies of AHSSs. The book will be useful for both theoretical and applied research aimed at AHSSs rolling technologies, and will be a scientific and valuable literature for the metallurgists, engineers, materials scientists, academics and graduate students who are studying and working with AHSSs and their rolling technologies worldwide.

The six important technical areas were selected by the workshop organizing committee, a group of experts from the auto and steel industries, and scientists from several National Laboratories. Customer demand and regulatory requirements continue to drive automakers to develop vehicles with higher levels of fuel efficiency and structural performance. There is a well-established need for additional research into advanced high strength steels (AHSS) to overcome technology gaps that are inhibiting the lightweighting potential of AHSS. In order to articulate the research directions needed, a workshop was conducted on February 9-10, 2012 in Southfield, Michigan on the topic of "Addressing Key Technology Gaps in Implementing AHSS for Automotive Lightweighting." The workshop brought together top engineers and scientists from automotive OEMs, steel companies, Tier 1 suppliers, government agencies and academia. The format included keynote presentations from industry and government leaders and state-of-the-art presentations from technical experts on the six technical areas deemed most important for this workshop. These presentations (where authorized by the presenter's company) are attached to this report.1 After the presentations, breakout sessions were conducted where technical requirements and gaps, as well as research needs for the six areas, were discussed, identified and prioritized. These needs were presented during the closing session of the workshop. These selections were based on areas where there were known technical gaps, which if closed would have high impact on accelerating vehicle lightweighting with AHSS. The selected areas were: Steel Development, Fracture, Plasticity, Delayed Fracture/Hydrogen Embrittlement, Modulus Characterization and Joining.

This is an open access book. The scope of papers is as follows (including but not limited to): Material and process of low temperature hot stamping (heating temperature 750-800°C) Cold stamping technology of advanced high strength steel 1180-1470MPa Technology and application of multi-material forming (mixed forming of carbon fiber composites, steel and aluminum) Laser blanking and defect prevention of advanced high strength steel Process of new coating of high strength steel and prevention of hydrogen embrittlement delayed fracture Research progress of multi-step hot stamping strengthening technology High strength steel/aluminum alloy and light-weight and high performance materials Hot stamping of high-strength steel/high-strength aluminium alloy Stamping and roll forming of high strength steel Cold/hot stamping of tailor-welded blanks Modeling and forming simulation of stamping components Application of advanced high strength steel stamping Material surface condition, friction and lubrication Material coatings, corrosion and corrosion protection Hot stamping Component design and body-in-white Heating and cooling methods and processes Microstructure and phase transition of cold-hot stamping forming material Tooling design and manufacturing Test and evaluation of advanced high strength steel stamping components Laser cutting and welding of advanced high strength steel stamping components Digital and intelligent technology and application of hot stamping forming equipment Lightweight design and advanced high strength steel components forming technology for commercial vehicles Other advanced forming technologies