AHSS Insights

The first operation when unwinding a coil is straightening to ensure flatness before further processing. There are two main types of equipment used to create a flat coil – a straightener and a precision leveller. In some respects, these two types of equipment are...

AHSS applications are growing, where the high strength body components help meet crash requirements, and thinner sections achieve weight reduction for improved fuel economy and lower overall emissions. Both higher strength and thickness reduction contribute to lower...

To understand the difference between localized and global fractures, you must first understand strain gradients (see the article in our blog, AHSS Strain Hardening and Gradients). Gradients can result in highly concentrated strains (peak strain condition) that...

Compensating for material springback during the forming process can be challenging. During forming, stress is applied to the material making it conform to the die geometry. The material will strain or displace across the die geometry, which consists of complex shapes,...

Every stamped part has springback. When sheet metal is plastically deformed into a part, the shape of the part always deviates somewhat from the shape of the punch and die after removal from the tooling. This dimensional deviation of the part is known as springback....

A common problem in every stamping plant is trim edge burrs. As new materials have been introduced, special trim breakage (clearance) or entry amounts may be required. Researchers are still trying to understand the edge stretching limits of these new materials. Edge...

The mild steel currently being used for sheet metal stampings has higher n-values than High Strength Low Alloy Steel and Advanced High Strength Steel. The high n-value indicates that the material has a higher work hardening exponent making the steel much easier to...

Laser welding is finding its way into more vehicle applications due to inherent weld strength, adaptability to complex weld geometries, and lower part distortion (Figure 1). Automotive applications use a variety of welding joint designs for laser welding in both lap...

Arc welds are normally used for vehicle components where the loads are high, for example in shock towers and engine cradles. Conventional arc welding processes (GMAW, TIG, and plasma) can be used as effectively for AHSS as with mild steels. The same shielding gases...

The challenges to spot welding of aluminum compared to steel include a tenacious and rapidly forming oxide layer of variable thickness and composition, high electrical and thermal conductivities, small increases in resistivity with temperature, a narrow plastic range,...