Project Description

Forming/Stamping | Structural Performance | Advanced CAE |
Advanced High Strength Steel Applications (DUAL-TEN^® steel & TRIP) | 
Weldability and Weld Fatigue | Government Sponsored Projects

Our Advanced Applications Technology group conducts various developmental projects in the areas of advanced material characterizations, forming/stamping, structural performance, advanced CAE, weldability, and weld fatigue. These projects are normally carried out by our Advanced Applications Technology engineers with the assistance of our lab technicians and are often jointly developed with our automotive customers. Most of our Advanced Applications Technology engineers have a Ph.D. and are experts in their related field. Most of these projects often result in one or two technical papers. Examples of published technical papers can be found in the publications section.

In addition, we also participate in government sponsored “high risk” R&D projects related to steel applications. Past and current projects include PNGV ATP/NIST sponsored Springback Predictability Project and Active Flexible binder control System for Robust Stamping.

If you are interested in developing or participating in a joint project with our Advanced Applications Technology staff, please contact

Dr. Ming Shi
Technical Manger, Advanced Applications Technology

Forming/Stamping: (back to top)

(1) Solutions or guidelines on issues/problems faced during forming/stamping of sheet steels. 

• Control of Springback and springback variations
• Die wearing/galling
• Class A surface quality (surface buckling or low and high spots)
• Optimal die set up and forming process parameters
• Forming sensitivity study of variations in material properties, sheet thickness, lubricant, die gap, forming parameters, etc.
• New steel grade stamping trial evaluations

(2) Characterizations of formability properties of base metal

• Forming Limit Diagram
• Strain hardening and strain rate hardening
• Strain aging (bake hardenability)
• Bendability
• Deep drawability
• YPE and stretch strain

(3) Characterizations of forming properties of coatings and lubricants

• Interface friction behaviors at different forming modes (stretching, drawing and bending and unbending in draw beads)
• Tool temperature effects on interface friction behaviors for sheet steels coated with different coatings as well as different lubricants
• Surface roughness effects on the interface friction behaviors
• Lubricant rankings under different forming modes
• Effect of new surface treatments of sheet steels on forming (e.g.. preprimed sheets, dry film lubricants)
• Effects of tool materials and surface treatments on the interface frictions

(4) New forming technology developments and assessments

• Hydroforming (materials, die designs, end feeding, corner filling, process optimizations)
• Tailor welded blank
• Tailored welded blanks for exposed applications
• Flexible binder/optimal binder control

Structural Performance: (back to top)

(1) Dent resistance of automotive body panels sub-assembly

• Quasi-static denting
• Dynamic denting
• Panel stiffness
• Palm printing
• Oil canning load
• Baked or unbaked

(2) Understanding of dent resistance

• Effect of material properties on dent resistance
• Effect of sheet thickness on dent resistance
• Effect of patches on dent resistance
• Dynamic denting developments
• Incremental loading vs. one-step direct loading
• Effect of curvatures/shape/stiffness on static and dynamic denting
• Effect of bake hardenability and yielding curve on dent resistance
• DUAL-TEN^® (dual phase) steel dent resistance performance

(3) Crashworthiness assessments

• Static crush test development
• Bending compression test development
• Drop tower testing
• Effect of steel grades and thickness on crash performance

Advanced CAE: (back to top)

(1) Applications assessments of new developed steel grades

• Manufacturability evaluations (actual production part or product intent part)
• Stamping simulation
• Springback predictions
• Die modification recommendations
• Formability window developments
• Sensitivity study
• Structural performance evaluations
• Dent resistance (exposed panel sub assembly)
• Bending/torsion stiffness (component or sub-assembly components)
• Stress and deflection analysis under static and dynamic loading (component or sub-assembly components)
• Crash performance (component or sub-assembly components)

(2) Manufacturing and structural performance simulations of production parts or future parts

(3) Manufacturing and structural performance assessments for new designed or re-designed parts

(4) Design optimization of automotive components (forming, springback, structural performance, or combinations)

(5) New simulation technology developments

• Dent resistance simulation
• Hydroforming simulation developments
• Tubing and tube pre-bending
• Pre-forming and hydroforming
• Corner filling
• Springback simulation
• Mapping between different simulations (forming to springback to structural analysis/crash analysis)
• Material constitutive model assessments
• Durability simulations incorporating forming properties

(6) Production part simulations

• Material selections/recommendations
• Die modification recommendations for a given materials
• Forming parameters optimizations
• Springback assessments and control

Advanced High Strength Steel Applications (DUAL-TEN^® steel/ TRIP): 
(back to top)

(1) Applications data developments

• Mechanical properties
• True stress and true strain data
• Strain hardening 
• Strain aging
• Room temperature aging
• Dent resistance
• Weldability
• Crash performance
• Microstructure

(2) Application case studies

• Stamping rails
• Side members
• Doors
• Hydroforming rail

Weldability and Weld Fatigue: (back to top)

(1) Spot weldability of dual phase and HSLA steels

• Contour of spot weld joint
• Crack formation during and after welding
• Fracture path and fracture mode of spot weld
• Correlation of coupon test results and performance of spot weld in real vehicle
• Microstructure features of weld nugget and HAZ
• Microhardness traverse
• Void formation in weld nugget

(2) GMAW welding and weld joint fatigue performance of dual phase steels

• Welding consumable optimization
• Welding parameter optimization
• Weld toe features evaluation (especially fillet welds)
• Weld joint fatigue performance
• Key factors contributing to fatigue performance of weld joint

(3) Fatigue performance of spot weld of different strength steels (dual phase and mild steels)

• Fracture path and fracture mode of spot weld
• Key factors contributing to fatigue performance of spot weld

Government Sponsored Projects: (back to top)

(1) PNGV ATP-NIST Springback Predictability Project

Funded through the five-year, $9.1M PNGV NIST/ATP Springback Predictability Project, a computer simulation technology has been developed and validated for simulation of springback in actual production automotive panels, with a demonstrated accuracy of 70% or better.

(2) Active Flexible binder control System for Robust Stamping

This $3.72 millions three year project is funded through the USAMP (United States Automotive Materials Partnership) and DOE (Department of Energy). The purpose of the project is to develop and demonstrate, on an industrial scale, an optimized closed loop binder control system that can be installed in presses with individually programmable multi-pin cushions. Such a system will improve quality, reduce variability and maintain accuracy of stampings, particularly for the parts made from high strength steels such as DUAL-TEN^® and TRIP steels.

 

Automotive Lab | Back to top