Effect of Heating Parameters on the Part’s Properties in Hot Stamping Process

Abstract

In the automotive industry, the hot forming of high strength steels offers the possibility to obtain significant reduction of weight without affecting the structural performances of final products. Compared with conventional sheet metal forming, the proper design of hot stamping process chain requires the deep knowledge of both interface phenomena and material behavior at high temperatures in order to obtain the desired properties of final products in terms of microstructure and strength characteristics. The work presented in this paper aims at accurately evaluate the effect of heating parameters on the properties of final sheet components produced in hot forming operations. Different from that in the lab, all the samples and parts used for the experimental test were produced in the production line, which can objectively show the manufacturing properties and microstructure character of products in mass. Microstructure evaluation, hardness measurement and dimensional accuracy test after hot stamping were performed and considered. The best heating parameters for the researched hot stamping B-Pillar’s production were obtained through the above research.