1st Year Apprenticeship

Metal Work
In this block you will learn
about:

Metals and their properties

Deformation effects after impact
Tools used for effective repair
Stretching and shrinking
Paintless dent removal

Body Steels
Hot rolled
thickness ranges
2-8 mm
generally used for
full frames, sub
frames (unibody)
and
crossmembers

Cold rolled
hot rolled, acid
rinsed, cold rolled
thin, then annealed
better surface
quality
good workability
most unibody panels
are cold rolled steel
stamping process
increases strength

Cold Rolling Mill to

Stampings

Grain Structures of Steel

HSLA

Mild Steel

Properties of Steel

Mild Steel up to 30,000

HSS
30 - 70,000
HSLA
75 - 100,000
UHSS
100- 160,000
AHSS

psi
psi
psi
psi
110 180,000 psi

yield
yield
yield
yield
yield

strength
strength
strength
strength
strength

HSS
Gets its initial strength
during the
heating/cooling
treatment from the
steel manufacturer
Is used mainly for load
bearing components in
the body structure,
however more
commonplace today
throughout entire body
structure

May be repaired cold

or with controlled heat
More difficult to repair
than mild steel
Yield strength of up to
70,000 psi.
Lack of available
identification for HSS
means treat all steel
as HSS!

HSLA
Like HSS except
varying alloying
elements (chemicals)
are added during the
manufacturing
process to increase its
strength (yield and
tensile)
May be reworked cold
or with controlled
heat application

Found in areas such

as:
Door intrusion beams
Bumper
reinforcements
Lock pillars
Front and rear frame
rails
Hinge pillars (A,B,C)

Yield strength up to
110,000 psi.

UHSS/AHSS
The strongest of the
structural steels found
in today's automobiles
Often referred to as
Boron, Martensitic,
Dual phase steels
Found in these areas:
Front and rear bumper
reinforcements
intrusion beams
A,B,C pillars (some
vehicles)

No heat whatsoever
is to be applied to
any component of
this designation!
These steels are
generally not
repairable
Require special
considerations when
removing/sectioning

Identification of Steels
Location and application of HSS steels vary
widely from manufacturer to manufacturer
Sources of information include:
OEM body repair manuals
Internet sources (OEM approved)
Mitchell manuals (estimating manuals)

If you cannot positively identify the

makeup of a component, you must treat it
as HSS!

HSS Locations

Part Loading
Tension:
a load that tries to pull parts straight apart

Compression
a load that forces parts straight into one another

Shear
A load that pulls sideways

Cleavage
a load that pulls parts away from each other at an
angle

Peel
a load that pulls parts straight away from one another

Loads present during a

collision

Terminology
Yield strength:
The minimum amount of force any piece of
metal can resist without bending or deforming
permanently

Yield Point:
The amount of force that a piece of
metal can resist without tearing or breaking

Tensile strength
is measured as the maximum force per unit of
area that causes a complete fracture of break

Terminology
Work Hardening
Is the upper limit of plastic deformation,
causing the metal to become hard in the bent
area

Malleability
is the property which allows deformation under
compression or upsetting (shrinking)

Elasticity
is the ability of the metal to be bent or
stretched and spring back to its original shape

Terminology
Plasticity:

The property that permits metal to change

shape when sufficient force is applied to it

Plastic Deformation:

The ability of the metal to be bent or formed

into different shapes ( bent beyond its elastic
limit)

Elastic Deformation:

The ability of the metal to be stretched or

bent and return to its original state

Terminology
Torsional strength
is the property of a material to withstand a
twisting force

Shear Strength
is a measure of how well a material can
withstand forces acting to cut or slice it
apart

Compressive Strength
is the property of a material to withstand
being crushed

Metal Strength
Terminology

Plastic Deformation

Elastic Deformation

Terminology
Rigidity:

Opposite of plasticity.

example: Cast iron will not bend or deform, it will

only break under load

Ductility:

ability of a metal to plastically deform

without breaking or fracturing, with the
cohesion between the molecules remaining
sufficient to hold them together

Heat and Sheet Metal

The point at which Steel melts is 2600
Degrees F
We should know the effects of the
temperature change between 400 - 1600
degrees F.
Three Effects:
scaling
changes in grain structure
expansion and contraction

Temperature
Temperature and
and Colour
Colour Change
Change
Light
Light film
film of
of scale
scale (iron
(iron oxide)
oxide) 430
430 FF

Pale
Pale yellow
yellow // Straw
Straw // Brown
Brown // Purple
Purple // Light
Light Blue
Blu
Dark
Dark Blue
Blue // 600
600 degrees
degrees FF
Reddish
Reddish Glow
Glow // 900
900 degrees
degrees FF
Blood
Blood Red
Red // Dark
Dark Cherry
Cherry 1200
1200 FF
Cherry
Cherry Red
Red 1550
1550 degrees
degrees FF
Critical
Critical Point
Point 1600
1600 degrees
degrees FF

Low Crown

High Crown

Reverse Crown

Buckles
Buckles occur when metal has been bent
past its elastic limit
Work hardening has occurred and a new
shape is formed
The buckles found in indirect damage are
as follows:

simple hinge
collapsed hinge
simple rolled
collapsed rolled

Direct and Indirect

Damage

Impact effect on a High Crown

Effect of damage on a Low Crown Panel

Effect of impact on a combination High / Low

Crowned Panel

Tension can only be removed by unlocking the

pressure areas

Combination of Buckles
two types
of rolled
buckles

Collapsed
hinge buckle

simple
hinge
buckle

Steps in Unlocking
Damage

First in last out

Collapsed Roll Buckle

What happens to the Steel upon impact?

In this case, the damage (Hinged Buckle) has

caused severe damage to the molecular structure

Hammering helps the atoms to vibrate back

into shape, or order

Tools
Hammers
Dollies
Spoons
Dent pullers
Body picks
Oxy-Acetylene
Body files

Body Hammers

Hammer
s

Holding the Body

Hammer

Dollies

Holding the Dolly

Using the Corner of the Dolly

Using the Edge of the Dolly

Using the Dolly as

a tool for bumping

Spoons

Uses of the Body Spoon

Can be used as a
dolly in hard to reach
areas
When used with
due care, can be
used for leverage
Great tool for
dispersing the force
of a hammer blow

Body Picks

Body Puller Set

(Slide Hammer)

Pull Rods

Other Body Working Tools

Pry Bars
Suction Cups
Stud Welders
Porta-spot Dent Pullers
Body Files
Slap Files
Hydraulic Porta-Power

Dent Removal Tools

Dent Removal
Systems

Hammer Maintenance

Depending on the
condition of your
hammer, several
steps may need to
be taken to restore
the mirror finish
to the surface on
the face of the
hammer.
From filing to
wet sanding and
polishing.

Locating Damage
Visually
Physically
Mechanically

Use your sense

of sight and the
reflection of a
light source as a
means of damage
identification

If a visual reference
is not possible, feeling
for damage will be
more than satisfactory

Mechanical Methods

Hammer and Dolly

Variables:
Force of hammer blow
Force of Dolly rebound
Shape of Dolly
Working distance

Hammer on Dolly

Hammer off Dolly

Metal Fundamentals
Properties of steel
Working the metal
Heat Shrinking

Detecting an Oil Can or stretched area

Time to Shrink!

- Hold torch
at right angle
to panel
- heat metal
to desired
degree
- place dolly
behind area
to be shrunk
- hammer area
from centre out
- quench
immediately with
wet sponge

Shrinking
Shrinking
Procedure

Cold Shrinking

Using a Carbon Rod for heat shrinking

Repair Plan

Determine the extent of

the damage
Removal of moulding,
emblems, or sound
deadening materials
from behind panels
Roughing out dents with
hammer, puller, or pry
bar
Metal finishing with
hammer, dolly and body
file

Panel shrinking
Removal of small dents
and bulges
Filling with body filler
Filing, sanding, and
priming the fill area
Rustproofing the back
side of panels
Completion of repairs

End of Metal Repair Fundamentals