Warm Forming of Hot Rolled High Strength Steels with Enhanced Fatigue Resistance as a Lightweight Solution for Heavy Duty Vehicles

Most solutions for a lightweight design are based on the implementation of AHSS, Al alloys or CFRP. However, not all these strategies are susceptible to be applied to truck chassis parts. These components require high fatigue resistance and thick sheets. Additionally, they are usually trimmed and punched, which is known to affect fatigue resistance. This work addresses the lightweight con-struction of truck parts through the warm forming of steel grades tailored to show high formability and fatigue behaviour. The fatigue limit was evaluated for different edge conditions (polished and punched) and rationalized using the cracking resistance described by fracture toughness. The con-sideration of both mechanical properties, fatigue, and fracture toughness, gives an innovative and useful tool to develop and select materials for fatigue dimensioned parts.
Funder: Research Fund for Coal and Steel RFCS (800649);ISBN för värdpublikation: 978-3-95735-150-0
RFCS programme - Warmlight project