New Perspectives for Crash Safety and Product Quality:Thin-walled Forged Parts in the Car Body
The portfolio of the Hirschvogel Automotive Group is expanding continuously. A new product group is now being generated: Forged steel or aluminum parts for applications in the car body. Components with a load-bearing function which make fixing points to car-body parts available are often designed as stamping and bending parts made of thick sheet metal, onto which the machined cylinders are welded. This design brings some disadvantages with it. Sheet-metal forming processes usually require very soft and ductile materials. Even with the strain hardening that takes place during the sheet-metal forming operation, these parts still demonstrate only low strength values, that means they either need to be dimensioned more generously or heat treated. Furthermore, in the event of a crash they only absorb energy to a limited extent. The joining operation is often a welding process. Here, sharp notches are generated at joints across the entire part. In the event of a crash, these tear easily and are thus able to absorb even less energy. In addition, corrosion protection processes on joints and crevices always pose a quality risk. Forged parts in monoblock design consist of a single part with no joining operations necessary. They combine high strength and high ductility, allowing considerable energy absorption in the event of a crash. Flow stresses of around 600 MPa (up to 800 MPa with bainitic materials) at strain values of around 15 % may be achieved by means of hot forging and controlled cooling. Thin component areas, such as those for spot welding on car body parts, and thick component areas in which a thread can be introduced merge into each other without seams and joints. They thus offer the best foundation for surface protection. This is achieved by subsequent electrochemical coating of the finished parts. Possible applications include load-bearing body elements in hollow sections for holding the chassis or subframe. During a hot forging process, the part geometry is generated; through controlled cooling, the part strength is achieved. A quenching and tempering operation is not necessary, and so there is no risk of hardening cracks. A subsequent calibration process generates thin component areas with low surface roughness (Rz,max = 50 μm) in order to provide spot-weldable mounting plates with wall thicknesses of 2.5 mm and thickness tolerances of ± 0.2 mm. Finally, drilling and thread cutting or forming allow other necessary geometrical elements to be introduced. Geometry details which cannot be achieved by forging are produced by means of machining. These parts, which are new to the area of forging, increase crash safety and product quality. They also offer new possibilities for functional integration in the car body. With the first serial orders, Hirschvogel has already achieved successful market entry with forged parts in the area of car bodies. Thanks to the know-how generated during the design and manufacture of thin-walled, forged body parts, Hirschvogel is now in a position to produce other components which fulfill similarly high demands. Image 1 ©Hirschvogel Automotive Group: Forged connecting part between sheet -metal profile structural components – front Image 2 ©Hirschvogel Automotive Group: Forged connecting part between sheet -metal profile structural components – back Press Contact: Claudia Bieberstein, Corporate Marketing & Communication, Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, Dr.-Manfred-Hirschvogel-Straße 6, 86920 Denklingen, phone: 08243 291-9700, claudia.bieberstein@hirschvogel.com www.hirschvogel.com The Hirschvogel Automotive Group The Hirschvogel Automotive Group is among the most successful manufacturers of forged steel and aluminum parts. About 5,000 employees worldwide produce forged parts and components for the automotive industry and its system suppliers. The consolidated turnover of the Group for 2016 amounts to EUR 1,011 billion at a yield of 345,000 tons of forged parts. Hirschvogel Holding GmbH is the parent company of the eight automotive supply companies of the Hirschvogel Automotive Group. The home plant, Hirschvogel Umformtechnik GmbH in Denklingen, Bavaria, has around 2,000 employees and produces approximately 243,000 tons of hot, warm and cold forged steel parts a year. The company has three subsidiaries in Germany. Hirschvogel Aluminium GmbH in Marksuhl near to Eisenach, Thuringia, produces sophisticated chassis components made of high-quality aluminum materials. Also located in Marksuhl is the steel forge Hirschvogel Eisenach GmbH. At Hirschvogel Komponenten GmbH in Schongau, Bavaria, around 800 employees process the steel and aluminum forged parts into ready-for-assembly components. Besides this, the Group is also active in the US. In Columbus, Ohio, Hirschvogel Incorporated produces warm and cold forged parts as well as ready-for-assembly components for the US market. At Hirschvogel Automotive Components, located in Pinghu near to Shanghai, forged parts and finished components are produced for the automotive industry located in China. At the plant in Gliwice Hirschvogel Components Poland produces warm forgings. Hirschvogel Components India, located in Sanaswadi, close to Pune, produces forged and machined parts for the Indian automotive market. In order to use the market opportunities in the NAFTA market (NAFTA = US, Canada and Mexico), Hirschvogel expands its global presence by building a new plant in Mexico. If you would rather not receive future communications from Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, please go to https://optout.cision.com/en/Rynn97YkhMgzYT2W47BuXAbtEcXC4w68QXqdPHybSJY9xKDkZNyHsYU1pebNsQ1ZKmEopzaug2P1hsP9nWiAaNnxFB6BYV9YqwbmDKaA8Y9mBxmj78x59rceKzS6sPUW39S. Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, Dr.-Manfred-Hirschvogel-Straße 6, Denklingen, Bayern 86920 Deutschland ------------------------------------------------------------ The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Public/15523/2277759/a66ba93c043e238c_org.jpg 170531 PM Crashsicherheit Bild 2 http://mb.cision.com/Public/15523/2277759/8360c4a183345d49_org.jpg 170531 PM Crashsicherheit Bild 1 If you would rather not receive future communications from Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, please go to https://optout.cision.com/en/Rynn97YkhMgzYT2W47BuXAbtEcXC4w68QXqdPHybSJY9xKDkZNyHsYU1pebNsQ1ZKmEopzaug2P1hsP9nWiAaNnxFB6BYV9YqwbmDKaA8Y9mBxmj78x59rceKzS6sPUW39S. Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, Dr.-Manfred-Hirschvogel-Straße 6, Denklingen, Bayern 86920 Deutschland
