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Related projects

Toughsheet

Toughsheet

07/2014 - 06/2017

Tough-Sheet was the first RFCS project addressing the evaluation of fracture of thin AHSS sheets to better understand crash resistance and formability during service or forming. It demonstrated that fracture toughness, measured following the essential work of fracture (EWF) methodology, can be effectively used to classify and understand edge cracking and the impact performance, as well as other fractures related to the local ductility of AHSS and PHS. Such assertion was supported by extensive stretch-flangeability and impact tests (bending and axial) in different AHSS grades, including the most representative families of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AHSS as well as press hardened boron steels.

OptiQPap

OptiQPap

 07/2016-12/2019

OptiQPAP project addressed the optimization of performance properties of the Q&P steels for their application in the automotive industry. The project aimed to deliver tools to optimize performance properties of Q&P steels while retaining their high mechanical strength via intelligent microstructural design. 

Nanoform

Nanoform

07/2016 - 12/2019

Nanoform addressed the formability enhancement of 3rd generation AHSS steels by nanosize precipitation and microstructure control during and after hot rolling. Fracture toughness was considered in the development of a Complex Phase (CP) steel with UTS of 1000 MPa and high formability

CuttingEdge4.0

CuttingEdge4.0

Started 06/2019 - ongoing

The CuttingEdge4.0 project deals with Industry 4.0 solutions for manufacturing complex parts with AHSS, which show high risk of edge cracking. Production failure algorithms will be developed following Artificial Intelligence methodologies. Fracture toughness of processed steels (Dual Phase and Complex Phase) is measured to select the best material to avoid edge cracking. It is also measured in different production steel batches using a fast-testing method to detect the property variation during long-term production and to rationalize cracking problems if they occur during production.

ToughSteel

ToughSteel

07/2021-07/2023

ToughSteel aims to enhance the value and increase stakeholder awareness of Fracture Toughness approach benefits, which has proved to be an effective tool to address crack-related challenges in Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) in car lightweighting and has high replicability in other sheet metal forming applications.

The main objective of the project is to disseminate to the main actors of the sheet metal forming community the possibility of measuring fracture toughness in thin sheets by means of the Essential Work of Fracture (EWF) and use it to effectively address and solve crack-related phenomena, as edge cracking and to select and develop AHSS with optimised crash performance.

FormPlanet

FormPlanet

 01/2019-12/2021

The FormPlanet project aims to develop and demonstrate and integrated ecosystem (open innovation test bed) offering novel testing methodologies to characterise sheet metal properties, predict part performance and prevent production loses to the sheet metal forming industries, tackling the upcoming challenges in formability and part quality assessment.

The project will promote a wide usage of high strength sheet materials while reducing production costs and time-to-market for sheet products in different industrial end-use sectors.

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