Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: Mass-Presshärten
Start date : 01.12.2024
End date : 30.11.2026
Extension date: 30.11.2027
A key development objective in the
automotive industry is the design of vehicle components to meet specific
requirements whilst simultaneously reducing weight and thereby
achieving fuel savings. In pursuit of these objectives, the use of
press-hardened steels for the manufacture of safety-critical structural
components has become established. Furthermore, the use of bespoke
semi-finished products allows for targeted property grading whilst
simultaneously saving material. These semi-finished products are
produced, for example, by joining several sheets using resistance spot
welding; the resulting composite can then be cold-formed. For this
process, the semi-finished products require sufficient stability at
elevated temperatures, as well as high formability, to ensure that the
joint is not damaged during forming. As part of this project, the aim is
to specifically adjust the number, geometry and position of the joints
to ensure optimal load transfer between the joined components. To this
end, resistance spot welds between different press-hardenable steels
will first be characterised under press-hardening conditions. The type
of load, forming temperature and holding time will be varied in a
thermomechanical forming simulator. The knowledge generated in this
process is then used to optimise the design of the joints using a
simulation programme for metal forming and the specific load case. To
verify the findings, geometrically complex demonstrators are then
produced using the developed process strategy, and the knowledge gained
is summarised in application-specific joining strategies, quality
assurance criteria and design guidelines.