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2018 Articles - Better Tooling for Super Strong Steels | MetalForming Magazine

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BETTER TOOLING FOR SUPER STRONG STEELS

By: Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson is senior directorautomotive market and long products program for Steel Market Development
Institute, Washington, D.C.; tel. 202/452-7100, www.smdisteel.org.

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Monday, May 1, 2017

Advanced grades of steel, including advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) with
tensile strengths of greater than 1000 MPa (1 GPa) have been adopted rapidly in the automotive industry to meet
stringent fuel economy targets, enhance occupant protection and improve vehicle performance. AHSS provides
optimal performance due to its excellent strength and ductility.

However, from the perspective of stamping-die

performance, these AHSS prove challenging when
paired with traditional die materials and surface-
treatment technologies. This can lead to significant
cost increases resulting from frequent die
maintenance and interruptions in the manufacturing
process.

To assist metalformers, the Auto/ Steel

Partnership’s (A/SP) Stamping Tooling Optimization
(STO) team has been studying the effects of AHSS
and UHSS on tooling design and maintenance. The
results of their work have been implemented in
each of the member auto companies’ (FCA USA
LLC, General Motors and Ford) die-design
standards upon completion of different phases of
the project. Fig. 1—AHSS-grade portfolio available for WorldAutoSteel
FutureSteelVehicle (FSV) project in 2011. Many grades featured tensile
The international steel industry has completed strengths in excess of 900 MPa.
several collaborative projects beginning with the
UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) project in 1998
and continuing through the WorldAutoSteel
FutureSteelVehicle (FSV) project in 2011. Each of
these projects achieved significant weight savings
and associated fuel-efficiency improvements with
the introduction of new generations of AHSS and
innovative manufacturing technologies. In fact, the
FSV program nearly doubled the AHSS portfolio
(Fig. 1) and innovative manufacturing technologies
available to the automotive design and
manufacturing engineers.

The North American automotive community has

embraced the results of the FSV program as
evidenced by the rapid adoption of many of the
AHSS grades and innovative manufacturing
technologies introduced within their program. Figs.
2 and 3 highlight some of the
material/manufacturing innovations in current
model vehicles produced in North America.

These real-world examples emphasize the

importance of being able to process AHSS grades
featuring tensile strengths greater than 1GPa. As
these grades grow in acceptance, the A/SP Fig. 2—The 2016 Honda Pilot featured a tailor-welded, hot-stamped 1500
Stamping and Stamping Tooling Optimization MPa-tensile-strength door ring.
teams are developing enabling technologies for
using these grades within the existing automotive-
manufacturing infrastructure.

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10.12.2018 Articles - Better Tooling for Super Strong Steels | MetalForming Magazine
Colla b o r a t i v e S tudy Explores To ol
Durab i l i t y o n D ual-Phase Steel

Recently, the A/SP STO team completed a real-

world production test on DP1180 steel. The study’s
goal: Evaluate die durability during a flanging
operation of bare DP1180 steel, and update
automotive-tooling standards accordingly.

The two-phase study centered on a progressive die

operated at Richard Tool & Die Corp., New Hudson,
MI, under production conditions. The 14-station die
produced an experimental part (Fig. 4) with 12 Fig. 3—The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon included a tailor-rolled
flanges of complex shape. The selected stamping (variable-thickness), hot-stamped 1500 MPa-tensile strength B-pillar.
material, bare 1.2-mm-thick DP1180 sheet,
represented the most severe material challenge
available today for cold-stamping applications. Fig.
5 shows the 14 progressive-die operations on the
strip layout with Fig. 6 showing the die in the press
during the stamping operation.

The experimental test die consisted of 31 inserts,

using a combination of one of 11 die materials and
one of nine surface treatments (coatings). Phase 1
of the study was conducted in 2015 using 18 die
material and coating combinations currently Fig. 4—The two-phase study was conducted on a progressive die operated
specified for the production of AHSS parts with at Richard Tool & Die Corp., New Hudson, MI, under production conditions.
The 14-station die was designed to produce an experimental part (as this
tensile strengths below 980 MPa (see Table 1).
schematic shows) with 12 flanges of complex shape.
Phase 2 in 2016 was conducted on part material
with tensile strengths greater than 980 MPa using 13 die material and coating combinations based on the results from
Phase 1 (see Table 2). Die materials tested included TD2, D2, T44, CC1, D6510, DC53, S2333, S0050A, SLD-I,
Toolox 44 and Cast Caldie. Coatings tested included PVD Duplex CrN, Duplex CrN and Most, CR Plate, Cool Sheet,
Concept, Concept and Most, Cr Plate, Cr Plate over ion nitride, and Duplex Variantic (TiAlCN).

Prior to running the experiments, computer

simulation via LS-Dyna and AutoForm ensured
no formability issues with the designed setup.

New D i e / C o a t i n g Combos Shined in

Tests

The study judged die wear based on the

following criteria: safe (no damage), minor
scratch marks and very rough scratch marks
on the stamped part surface (Fig. 7). Every
100 hits yielded panels for evaluation. Fig. 5—The 14 progressive-die operations used to produce an experimental part
Employing die and coating materials are shown on this strip layout.
successfully used for steels with tensile strengths less than 980 MPa, the 2015 experimental trials resulted in
performance failures as early as 35 hits, and most of the inserts failed by 20,000 hits. The only combination to survive
through 20,000 hits: TD2 coated with Cool Sheet (highlighted in Table 1).

In 2016, the team investigated die durability of

a new set of die material and coating
combinations to determine applicability to
forming the next generation of AHSS with
tensile strengths greater than 980 MPa. In
general, die-insert performance proved
significantly better than in 2015. Though the
study noted one failure after 4000 hits, the
majority of inserts lasted more than 10,000
hits with four combinations enduring 65,800
hits. In fact, the die insert (TD2 coated with
Cool Sheet) that performed best in the 2015
experiments continued to perform without
major failure in the 2016 experiment, with a
combined hit total of more than 80,000. Fig. 6—The progressive die, experimental tools and strip are shown in operation
at Richard Tool & Die.

Fig. 7—This experimental part shows rough

scratches, caused by a worn tool.
The team further analyzed the experimental results of both phases to evaluate a connection between die wear and
insert hardness or roughness. The analysis proved no clear direct correlation with the rankings of the wear results.
However, previous studies demonstrated that inserts with hardness greater than 60 Rockwell C tended to chip more
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10.12.2018 Articles - Better Tooling for Super Strong Steels | MetalForming Magazine
readily while hardness less than 54 Rockwell C led to premature wear. The results of insert surface roughness were
even more scattered than hardness, but also showed a possibility of a mid-range roughness as giving the best wear
results.

This process was repeated with the Phase 2 results. As with Phase 1, the team found no clear direct correlation
between the die performance and those measures. As part of the Phase 2 experimental analysis, the team measured
as-received steel and final part-surface roughness. As the die wore, the roughness of the final part differed depending
on the flange material and coating. In some cases, roughness increased as was expected. But in other cases surface
roughness decreased, indicating that the tool actually wore down the peaks of the part surface during the flanging
operation.

Additionally, the study team

examined each worn die insert in a
scanning electron microscope with
the wear area measured using
imaging-processing software. These
results correlated with the part-
surface evaluation, confirming the
supposition that current high-volume
die-coating materials cannot
withstand the stamping of the DP
1180 and contributed to early tool
failure and heavy scratches in the
stamped part.

Die/C o a t i n g C o m bos Key to

Formi n g To u g h S teels

Recent studies by The A/SP Tooling

Optimization team concluded that
improved die material and coating
combinations are needed to form
steels with tensile strengths greater
than 1 GPa. Several die material
and coating combinations proved
more effective for wear resistance in
the flanging operation over previous
die designs used to stamp steel with
strengths less than 1 GPa.

In addition, the team plans further work to study the interaction of tooling hardness and roughness with the goal of
enhancing die performance for UHSS grades. With the automotive industry accepting and applying these AHSS
grades at an accelerated rate and the steel industry developing higher-strength/higher-ductility grades, keeping up
with advanced tooling technology is more important than ever. MF

Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings, Tool & Die

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