Toughness of Ultra High Strength Steel Sheets

Currently only few methods exist for thin steel sheet testing, especially based on fracture mechanics concept. Charpy impact test is one of the most used method for testing notch toughness and fracture behaviors because of the simplicity and the other advantages [. This article deals with toughness testing of automotive ultra high strength steel sheets (UHSS). Several standard types of toughness test that generate data for specific loading conditions and/or component design approaches exist. Two definition of toughness will be discussed: i) Charpy V-notch toughness, method includes joining of thin steel sheets to one compact unit and ii) material (tensile) toughness [. Two steels were used, DP1000 and 1400M of 1,8 mm thickness and two joining techniques: bonding with adhesives and joining with holders. Effect of material, joining technology, structural adhesives, and number of joined plates on the toughness values was quantified at the room temperature. Toughness of steels by the tensile test was added for comparison. Fracture surface was observed using scanning electron microscope analysis.