ULSAB AVC Corus is a key contributor to the UltraLight Steel AutoBody- Advanced Vehicle Concepts initiative (ULSAB- AVC) which builds on the ground breaking UltraLight Steel AutoBody programme (ULSAB) launched in 1998 to tackle the world's toughest automotive safety standards. The $10m (£6m), two-year research programme demonstrates how to meet increased safety demands cost-effectively through the use of advanced steel technologies.
The international consortium of leading steelmakers will meet the world's toughest safety standards anticipated for the year 2004 - without compromising on cost or the 25-per-cent weight saving demonstrated by the original UltraLight Steel AutoBody (ULSAB) programme. The project's target kerb weight of 950kg will be 250-300kg less than a typical midsize family car of today.
The initial challenge for the ULSAB-AVC technical committee is to make the popular midsize family car as safe as larger cars. It is only advanced steels that can cost-effectively address the conflicting demand for lower weight - and thus lower fuel consumption - whilst enhancing safety, performance and retaining comfort levels for mass production vehicles.
According to professor Jon King, director of Corus Automotive Engineering, the fact that most cars are made of steel is because it is the benchmark material for designing safe vehicles in high volume production: "Steel is a material with a unique, inherent capacity to absorb impact and thus diffuse crash energy. Steel can be engineered to collapse in a controlled manner. Steel also has the ability to become harder when crushed, which means it becomes stronger on impact, allowing the steel to absorb more energy. The objective of the ULSAB-AVC project is to use the latest generation of high strength steels and new steel technologies holistically to enhance safety even further." ULSAC Corus takes a leading role in the UltraLight Steel Closures (ULSAC) initiative to develop lightweight, safe and affordable steel auto closures that embody important advancements in structure, technology and material usage. A new generation of strong lightweight car bonnets, doors, boot lids and tailgates for safer and more fuel efficient vehicles is fast approaching production feasibility following successful initial tests of components. Preliminary results just released from the validation phase show that innovative ULSAC designs can reduce weight significantly with little or no cost increase while meeting rigorous structural performance targets. The new materials and processes include higher strength steels, roll and hydroforming, laser and patch welding, adhesive bonding as well as the latest 'active hydromechanical' metal forming. The programme's approach to these new materials, processes and joining techniques is complemented by its iterative holistic approach to design.
Sophisticated computer analysis along with initial measurements of actual components are beginning to bear out the programme's innovative concept designs for closures that are up to a third lighter than benchmarked averages. The new designs are also holding up their promise of being 10 percent lighter than the current best in class without imposing significant manufacturing cost penalties.
The ULSAC programme is playing a pivotal role in the transfer of new steel technology to the motor industry.
To create a more efficient closure, the complete structure had to be analysed. This has enabled the engineering team progressively to reduce weight in key areas while strengthening important strategic locations such as hinges and latches. ULSAS Corus is major player in the UltraLight Steel Automotive Suspensions initiative (ULSAS) which further communicates the attributes of modern steel to automotive customers. To conduct the study, the consortium selected Lotus Engineering, a world-class consultant in vehicle and chassis engineering.
The programme encompassed five types of steel suspension systems across a range of vehicle sizes, resulting in the creation of a comprehensive range of suspension system designs that met or exceeded the aggressive mass, cost and performance targets. It successfully reduced the mass of a new steel design by at least 20 percent versus benchmarked conventional steel suspensions without a cost penalty, and matched the mass of a benchmarked aluminum system with a steel suspension system while demonstrating a cost saving of at least 20 percent.
"ULSAS and its companion studies establish that intelligent application of the latest steel technologies can match the weight savings of so-called exotic materials while offering significant cost advantages," said Peter Rawlinson, ULSAS program director. "That is because while steel is a relatively dense material, it also is very stiff and strong, and appropriate engineering can take advantage of these properties to produce lightweight, cost-effective solutions." |
