Page 26 - MetalForming May 2016

Advanced Steels Driving Vehicle
Lightweighting and Technology Adoption
The auto industry offers up ever-increasing examples of lightweighting via the use of newer, stronger steels. In doing so, suppliers continue to gain familiarity
of these wonder materials, and employ an array of technology to form them.
Federally mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards demand 54.5-mpg automotive and light-truck fleet aver- ages by 2025, and automakers are leav- ing no stones unturned in striving to comply.
As newer, stronger steels find their way into passenger vehicles to reduce weight in order meet these stringent mileage standards, and improve crash- worthiness and occupant safety, the automotive supply chain has become more familiar with how to process these steels. In addition, forming the latest generation of advanced high-
BY LOUIS A KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
strength steels (AHSS) into complex components productively has required adoption of varying technologies.
New Steels in
New Vehicles Everywhere
Within the past two model years, vehicle weight reductions attributed to the use of AHSS over more traditional steels or other materials are in evidence across all vehicle types and models.
Noting just a few examples, redesigns including incorporation of AHSS have trimmed 200 lb. from the 2015 Chevy Colorado, 71 lb. from the 2015 Chrysler 200, 300 lb. from the
2016 Chevy Malibu, 300 lb. from the 2016 Honda Pilot, 129 lb. from the 2015 Ford Edge and 185 lb. from the 2016 Volkswagen Passat.
AHSS Offers Unique
Blanking and Forming Options
Weight reductions in the Colorado owe plenty to tailor-rolled AHSS blanks formed into B-pillar outer reinforce- ments. Precise control of roller pressure allows the blanks to vary between 1 and 2 mm thick, with extra thickness provided in areas targeted for increased crash-energy management. While tai- lor-rolled blanking is not brand new, it
24 MetalForming/May 2016
www.metalformingmagazine.com