Material Applications in ULSAB-AVC (Advanced Vehicle Concepts)

Advanced high strength steels were a key enabling factor in achieving the remarkable results of the ULSAB-AVC (Advanced Vehicle Concepts) Program. The complete body structure consists of high strength steels with over 80% being advanced high strength steel grades.

Vehicle weight reduction, reduced costs and improved safety performance are the main driving forces behind material selection for automotive applications. High strength steels (HSS) have demonstrated their ability to meet these demands and consequently have been the fastest growing light-weighting material in vehicle structures for the past decade. The evolution in steel technology in recent years has produced new grades of highly formable, advanced high strength steel (AHSS) grades that will continue to meet these automotive demands into the next decade.

This paper provides an example of how these advanced automotive materials have been incorporated in the ULSAB-AVC (Advanced Vehicle Concepts) Program and how these materials enable cost- and mass-effective solutions that satisfy the increasing crash performance requirements placed on vehicle designs.