The body structure for the next Audi A8 amounts to a ‘switch back to steel’ from aluminium according to steel producer ArcelorMittal.
Scheduled for release in 2018, the body structure of the new A8 will be made up of more than 40 percent steel, following the trend of automakers opting to use advanced high-strength steels in new vehicles, it says. That’s a marked turnaround from the all-aluminium body-in-white which Audi developed for the A8 in 1994.
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ArcelorMittal says that steel’s strength has multiplied by almost 10 times over the past 20 years, from 270 to 2000MPa tensile strength. More than 80 new steel products are under development at ArcelorMittal, with an automotive steel grade portfolio of almost 200 unique steel grades, half of which were introduced in just the past decade.
“Usibor is our key product in hot stamping and has been a major commercial and technical success in the global automotive industry,” said Brian Aranha, executive vice president, global automotive, ArcelorMittal. “Looking ahead, the scope of hot stamping products in vehicles will continue to increase with the release of more advanced products like Usibor 2000, which offers 10 to 15 percent weight savings when compared to existing hot stamping solutions.”
ArcelorMittal says Usibor is compatible with standard press hardening technologies and processes. Combining Usibor with Ductibor into laser welded blanks offers several significant advantages including weight savings, improved crash behavior and cost savings through material and manufacturing optimisation.
Dr. Bernd Mlekusch, head of the Audi’s Leichtbauzentrum, or Lightweight Construction Center, said: “There will be no cars made of aluminium alone in the future. Press hardened steels (PHS) will play a special role in this development. PHS grades are at the core of a car’s occupant cell, which protects the driver and passengers in case of a collision. If you compare the stiffness-weight ratio, PHS is currently ahead of aluminium.”
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