Technical Paper
Advanced High-Strength Steels and Hydroforming Reduce Mass and Improve Dent Resistance of Light Weight Doors In UltraLight Steel Auto Closures Project
2001-10-16
2001-01-3116
In May 2000, the UltraLight Steel Auto Closure (ULSAC) Consortium unveiled a lightweight frameless steel door design that achieves 42 percent weight savings over the average benchmarked (1997 model year vehicles) frameless door and 22 percent savings over the lightest benchmark, a framed door. ULSAC was commissioned by this international consortium of 31 sheet steel producers to assist their automotive customers with viable lightweighting steel solutions. The ULSAC design and engineering team, Porsche Engineering Services, Inc. (PES), Troy, Michigan USA, accomplished this significant weight savings by using high and ultra high strength steels, combined with technologies such as tailored blanks and hydroforming. The door outer panel of this first round of demonstration hardware is made of stamped 0.7 mm Bake Hardenable (BH) 260 sheet steel.