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In this study, comparisons are made of the crash energy performance between five grades of steel, including conventional mild steel, conventional HSS, and several grades of advanced HSS including Dual Phase 590Y. The influence of processing effects, work hardening and bake hardening, are also evaluated. Simple closed hat channels are formed by two methods, the first with minimum work hardening, the second with work and bake hardening. These hat channels are then subjected to a drop test at 25 km/hr and 50 km/hr. The load and deflection are recorded for each case and comparisons are made.

The objective of the research presented in this paper was to assess the influence of stamping process on crash response of UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) [1] vehicle. Considered forming effects included thickness variations and plastic strain hardening imparted in the part forming process. The as-formed thickness and plastic strain for front crash parts were used as input data for vehicle crash analysis. Differences in structural performance between crash models with and without forming data were analyzed in order to determine the effects and feasibility of integration of forming processes and crash models.

The remarkable evolution of steel technology in recent years has resulted in the development of new High Strength Steels (HSS) that are increasingly used in today's automobiles. The advanced performance of these grades in ductility and rapid hardening characteristics provides an opportunity to stamp complex geometries with in-panel material strengths far exceeding those of conventional high strength grades of steel. This provides an opportunity to improve an automotive body's performance in crash, durability and strength while reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. An improved understanding of the forming characteristics of these advanced HSS and accurate prediction of the material processing strain will allow vehicle designers to fully explore the opportunities of increased yield, strain hardening, formability and strength and the potential this creates to reduce mass and improve the performance of the automotive body.