Crash&Tough is a recently finished European project funded under the frame of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) programme. The main aim of Crash&Tough has been to develop high crash-resistant steel solutions for the automotive industry based on 3rd Generation Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS). The project focused on the investigation of the effect of microstructural constituents on the fracture resistance of 3rd Generation TRIP-assisted steels in order to optimize their crashworthiness.

During this workshop, the main results obtained in the Crash&Tough project will be shown. A general introduction to 3rd Gen AHSS, including microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties and advantages with respect to 1st generation AHSS will be provided. Different advanced microstructural and mechanical characterization techniques will be presented together with new FE damage models developed to improve the accuracy of crash simulations. Finally, the industrial applicability of the new steel grades investigated in the project will be demonstrated in a serial produced automotive component, showing the potential of new generation steels to manufacture complex structural parts with reduced weight and enhanced performance.

14:00 – 14:15 Introduction to the Workshop and project overview
David Frómeta, Project Coordinator and Researcher Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit, Eurecat

14:15 – 14:30 3rd Gen AHSS: metallurgy, processing and mechanical properties
Johannes Rehrl, Senior Researcher, Materials development for cold-rolled products, voestalpine Stahl GmbH

14:30 – 14:45 Fracture toughness evaluation of AHSS sheets
David Frómeta, Project Coordinator and Researcher Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit, Eurecat

14:45 – 15:00 Advance microstructural characterization by means of EBSD
Matthieu Salib, Research Engineer, Maizières Products Center, ArcelorMittal Global R&D

15:00 – 15:15 Micromechanical evaluation through nanoindentation
Nuria Cuadrado, Researcher Metal and Ceramic Materials Unit, Eurecat

15:15 – 15:25 Q&A

15:25 – 15:40 BREAK

15:40 – 15:55 Crash resistance evaluation of AHSS
Pascal Dietsch, Research Engineer, Maizières Products Center, ArcelorMittal Global R&D

15:55 – 16:10 Advanced modelling approaches to improve the accuracy of crash simulations
Jörgen Kajberg, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology
Ricardo Hernández, Researcher, Eurecat

16:10 – 16:25 Implementation of new 3rd gen steel grades in automotive components
Daniele de Caro, Material Specialist, Metals Centro Ricerche Fiat

16:25 – 16:35 Q&A

16:35 – End of webinar