Tailoring the properties profile of automotive components using numerical simulation

Abstract

Nowadays, the reduction in car components weight has become as essential as meeting safety requirements. However, conventionally the increase in safety leads to an increase in weight of such components. The latest technology used to achieve a combination of safe performance and lightweight has seen car components being manufactured with differential mechanical properties to adapt to the load profile. This technology, known as tailoring, is achievable either through manipulation of materials, thickness alteration or differential heat treatment. This projects aim is to optimize the thickness profile of a B-pillar that would yield a safe performance in a side crash situation while providing maximum weight reduction at the same time. For this purpose, several materials were tested and for each, an optimized thickness profile was generated. It was found that ultra-high strength manganese boron steel offers the utmost weight reduction among steels, with a weight reduction of 52.5% from the initial 11.27 Kgs Interstitial Free steel B-pillar. Additionally, the use of high strength aluminum alloy Al7075 reduced the initial B-pillar weight by 74%, which is the maximum reduction among all tested materials.