The Eurecat Manresa technology centre has today showcased innovative testing methodologies for the design and optimal application of high-performance metallic materials which are of particular interest in the automotive, transport and other industries and have been developed as part of the European ToughSteel, Crystal and MiPre projects.
Solutions have been unveiled to assess and determine critical properties in this field such as fatigue behaviour, impact resistance, hydrogen embrittlement, which is extremely relevant for high-strength materials, and fracture toughness, which makes it possible to address cracking problems in the manufacturing process including edge-cracking. The knowledge generated can be leveraged to optimise the development of new high-performance metals and apply them to the design of high added-value products, especially valuable for weight reduction and safety in vehicles.
“Eurecat has led the development of new experimental approaches to characterise high-strength materials based on fracture mechanics which have enabled us to better understand the impact behaviour and formability of new materials for lightweight vehicle construction,” says Daniel Casellas, Eurecat’s scientific director. “Now we can bring the transport industry fast and efficient solutions tailored to sheet metal component production processes.”
The event was attended by researchers and businesses that have embraced new techniques to enhance the development and implementation of high performance steels such as SSAB Europe, Forvia Faurecia, Benteler Group, MW Italia, Stellantis, SEAT S.A. and ArcelorMittal Maizières.
The ToughSteel project “has researched and promoted using fracture toughness as a key property to address cracking problems in forming advanced high-strength steels, thus optimising material selection, preventing production losses and shortening time to market for sheet metal products,” notes David Frómeta, project coordinator and head of the Mechanical Behaviour Line in Eurecat’s Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit.
Meanwhile, Crystal “has developed new experimental tools and methodologies to predict the service life of automotive parts made of high-strength steels vis-à-vis hydrogen embrittlement,” explains Silvia Molas, project coordinator and head of the Corrosion and Degradation Line in Eurecat’s Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit. Absorption of hydrogen in the material “directly impacts its mechanical properties, significantly reducing them and making the manufactured component more sensitive to fracture. Now we can furnish the industry with tools to determine the threshold hydrogen content and mitigate its associated risk, making it possible to manufacture safer automotive components.”
“The MiPre project is a crucial step forward in microstructural modelling of complex steels,” says Jaume Pujante, head of the New Processes for Advanced Materials Line in the Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit. “In the project we have been able to build a model that allows us to generate more accurate predictions of the final behaviour of the material applied to a process, hot stamping, which is highly adaptable in heat treatment.”
The event wrapped up with a visit to the laboratories specialising in research and advanced characterisation of metals at Eurecat Manresa.
