MW carries out a successful prototyping of new steel grades for weight reduction as part of Fatigue4Light

Last September, project partners from MW developed a successful prototyping of new steel grades for reducing the weight of the wheel disc in the frame of the Fatigue4Light project. The trials were held in the facilities of MW Romania, a plant focused on producing wheels for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.

Prior the prototyping days, the trials were carefully planned, and the selected prototypes, derived from a SUV vehicle, were designed with the new grades at reduced thickness to guarantee a significant weight reduction. Simulations were carried out to define a dedicated stamping cycle and dedicated tools were manufactured.

Figure 1 – Stamping simulation of a wheel disc in HSS with the new stamping cycle

During the three-days long trials a careful set-up were made in order to obtain the best results from the new stamping cycle.  Technicians from ArcelorMittal, partners of the project, were also present during the trials with the objective to provide the necessary support and material knowledge. The Fatigue4Light fatigue tests and assessment of the prototypes will be carried out in the following months as one of the main next steps of the project’s execution.

It is important to notice that the carbon footprint of a steel wheel is strongly related to the carbon footprint of the steel production, thus, a weight reduction achieved through the use of less material for each wheel is directly reflected in a similar reduction of the product carbon footprint.

The Fatigue4Light project is developing lightweight solutions adapted to the chassis parts of Electric Vehicles to enhance weight reduction compared to current solutions and increase vehicles’ safety.