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In recent years there is an increasing demand for safer, more fuel efficient and more durable vehicles while reducing cost of ownership. To meet these demands, a new generation of zinc-magnesium alloyed hot dip galvanized steel has been developed. The product has recently been introduced for exposed panels. The innovative zinc-magnesium alloyed coating of this steel increases corrosion protection, allowing for thinner coating layers and therefore a potential for lighter parts. More important the properties of this new coating improve production performance by reducing tool pollution and galling behavior during processing in the press shop. This new steel product allows OEMs to meet the expectations of today’s automotive market. When taking into account cost critical performance in the press shop, the zinc-magnesium alloyed coating provides a clear advantage over conventional coatings, offering up to a 30% reduction in tool pollution.

The use of tailored blanks in the automotive industry is well established. Each year the amount of applications is growing (see figure 1) and the technology has become mature. With the growing interest in Advanced High Strength Steel, new solutions in weld technology however have to be developed in order to produce high quality parts in high volume at the lowest cost. Soudronic has several solutions available to weld Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) successfully. The latest development being the use of controlled filler wire feed. This technology is integrated in the new weld system SOUTRAC®. This new developed laser welding machine is especially designed for welding non-linear Tailored Blanks and guarantees highest output of linear and curved blanks with excellent quality.

The ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts (AVC) chassis and suspension concepts surpass the ULSAB-AVC mass targets using steel. Steel technologies such as tailored blanks for wishbones, tailor tube hydroforming for trailing arms and high-strength steel stampings where there would normally be a heavier casting (steering knuckle). Furthermore the application of highstrength steel throughout all contributed to mass efficiency with excellent performance. State-of-the-art automotive technologies, such as an electrical parking brake and electro-hydraulic brake system also have contributed to the mass reduction achieved. This paper summarizes the chassis and suspension designs, including some of its specific steel applications. To understand the steel nomenclature used to describe

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.

Computational analysis of vehicle-to-vehicle crashes has been conducted for Ultralight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) car design. The study involved vehicles of comparable weights and dimensions to assess the compatibility of the ULSAB with existing designs. Deformation and acceleration data for crashed vehicles were analyzed. Vehicle-modeling approaches have strong influence on computational results and the requirements for compatibility of models were identified for future research on vehicle-to-vehicle crash modeling.

The ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts Program is focused on the development of steel applications for vehicles to be produced beginning in the year 2004. A “holistic” total vehicle development approach will be applied, including styling, package, closures, suspension, etc. The understanding of the interactions of all vehicle subsystems, their optimization in respect to size, mass, and performance, will lead the program to an optimized steel intensive vehicle concept. Benchmarking will provide the data for building the basis of the target setting, after which the program target will be established and guidelines for the design will be created. The ULSAB-AVC Program concentrates on the design of two size lightweight vehicles: One size fitting in the most popular European C-class (so-called Golf class); and the second size similar to the North American PNGV class (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles*).

The ULSAB project, conducted by a consortium of 35 international steel producers, clearly demonstrates that the application of tubular hydroformed components offers a large contribution to the structural and crash performance of the Body in White whilst offering both a weight and cost saving [1, 2]. Although the number of hydroformed parts is only two (the left and right side roof rail) the potential in other hollow components is high. What needs to be proven is the viability in mass production. This incorporates not only the hydroforming technology itself, but also the availability of large diameter thin walled tubes. This paper will only deal with the first item for which Hoogovens Steel Strip mill Products and Dr. Meleghy Hydroforming GmbH have formed a partnership in October 1996. The objectives of the partnership are the development of forming simulation models and determine the relation between material characteristics and the hydroforming process.