Boron Steels for Superior Durability in Automotive Structures

The potential of hot-stamped boron steel in aiding improved durability coupled with mass reduction is explored through two case studies involving a lightweight truck frame and a shock tower assembly. Through a computational approach, analyses are performed using service loading conditions. The stress fields calculated through the analyses are used to predict fatigue life cycles. It is shown that the advanced steel grades such as Boron can offer superior resistance to fatigue loading conditions while offering an opportunity to reduce the weight of the component.