International steel company Corus has won a contract to supply its ‘Hyfo’ tubular blank for the first hydroformed automotive crash can to go into production in Europe.
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The development team in the Netherlands worked closely with Spain’s Gestamp Automocion, part of auto industry supplier Gestamp Group, to specify and develop this unique component, which will be supplied to a European vehicle manufacturer for a 2006 model launch.
The crash can combines the latest hydroform tube forming technology with advanced knowledge of material behaviour.
Unlike more traditional crash cans, which are typically constructed using up to eight components, this design consists of a single hydroformed tubular blank which is then cut in half to produce a vehicle pair. This approach reduces both assembly complexity and also the weight of the component itself, Corus claims.
The crash can performs a critical role in car safety and is designed to manage the deceleration pulse on impact, limiting damage at low speed and managing energy absorption so that passenger safety is maximised in a more severe impact.
Corus Hyfo-TRB general manager Maurice van Giezen said: “Hydroforming is an enabling technology that has the capacity to deliver cost effective mass-produced solutions and is increasingly being used in specific and demanding applications by vehicle manufacturers today. The crash can clearly demonstrates the benefits of this technology.”
Corus will supply the blank directly to Metalbages, also part of the Gestamp group, who will make the crash can at a plant in Pamplona, northern Spain (the town is also home to a VW group car plant) and ship it to the vehicle manufacturer.
Volume production will commence within a few months.
