Project idea
In order to meet the long term goals regarding reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in road transport new material solutions are needed to reduce weight. In LightFe two steel sandwich concepts with densities 30 percent lower than the density for a solid steel will be developed. The multi grade material is processed to components by press hardening. The sandwich materials shall also fulfil the high demands from the truck and automotive industry regarding stiffness, crashworthiness and fatigue.
The sandwich concepts will also be investigated for armoured vehicle for future development of lightweight blast mitigation protection systems. Finally, the sandwich should at the same time have a good formability customized for the press hardening process. Cost efficient virtual methods in shape of finite element method for development and design of sandwich solutions will be established.
Demonstrators will be made in order to validate the FE-methodology and to show good properties regarding stiffness, crashworthiness, fatigue or blast mitigation. The developed simulation methodologies will be implemented at the companies and the design engineers will be trained in the new technologies through workshops.
Contribution to the goals within strategic innovation programme of lightweight solutions
Several long-term goal of the call are established. In the table below it is summarized how the objectives of LightFe is connected to the objectives in Lighter and the long-term goals.
Deltagande företag
Swerea MEFOS, will develop processes for continuous manufacturing of steel sandwich.
Luleå University of Technology, who will establish virtual simulations strategies for development of steel sandwich.
Gestamp HardTech, will design a cold stamping die for manufacturing of the steel sandwich core.
Scania, will select, optimize the design and test a component, based on the possibilities offered from the development of a steel-sandwich material.
BAE Systems Hägglunds, will select and design a panel, given by the steel-sandwich technique, which finally will be tested against relevant impulsive loading (demonstrator).
SSAB, will study joining methods for the sandwich based on their press-hardened boron steels.
