The actual trend in the automotive industry aims to mix a weight reduction of the body car (energy saving) with a better security for passengers during a crash of the vehicle. The use of a high strength steel can therefore be considered to produce a lot of structural parts of the body car: However, many questions remain about the actual performances of that kind of steel and about the capacity to absorb kinetic energy during a collision. In the report, we will compare the behaviour of different steels (mild steels and HS steels) during the crash, at different impact speeds, of a beam having a given geometry with a given assembly mode and a given forming process. All these tests have allowed us to tune up our testing equipment. We have also compared some results with the specialised literature. The next step of the research is based on different changes in shapes, assembly techniques and forming processes. A correlation with the evolution of mechanical properties of steels during a deformation at high speed could also be established.
Samenvatting