Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

This research, to be undertaken as a collaboration between Ford, Promatek Research Centre (Magna) and the Universities of Waterloo and Guelph, will address the hot stamping and final properties of a new ultra high strength steel alloy, Usibor 2000-AS. This alloy has a strength of 2,000 MPa making it attractive for automotive anti-intrusion structural applications relative to current 1,500 MPa strength alloys. However, the current lack of process models and characterization data for this alloy represents a barrier to commercial adoption. Thus, a hot stamping process model will be developed to support process and product design and optimization that will include characterization data and sub-models of: (i) heat transfer, coating and substrate evolution within the large-scale (100 m) roller hearth furnaces used in this process; and (ii) constitutive behaviour and formability during high temperature forming (500-850 Celsius). The developed process models and data will enable product weight reduction by fully utilizing the material capabilities, resulting in structural part thickness reductions to 1.0 mm. With up to 40% of car body structural parts projected to be hot stamped, the improved simulation models and process efficiencies from this project will contribute to sustain and potentially increase Ford and Magna's market share in the very large automotive structural market. Competitive technological advantage stemming from this project will secure manufacturing jobs in Canada and the highly qualified students to be trained will establish future innovation capacity. Lighter, safer, more fuel efficient vehicles will be built in Canada and driven around the world.