Design of Press Tools to Investigate the Hot Stamping Behaviour of Alternative Coatings for Press-Hardened Steel Parts

Due to oxidation and decarburization during heat treatment prior to hot stamping, various coating products have been developed in the last decades. Press-Hardened Steel (PHS) components for passenger cars are generally coated by aluminized or galvanized (GI) coatings. The aluminized coating presents a good formability at high temperature and permits forming and quenching components in the same press tools with a so called direct hot stamping method. Due to a strong cracking in the base material during direct hot stamping induced by liquid-metal embrittlement (LME), galvanized coated products must be pre-formed at low temperature and undergo heat treatment in separate press units. Moreover, the oxide scale formed on GI parts must be removed by abrasive blasting, whereas aluminized parts can be directly painted after hot forming. However, higher performance in corrosion resistance has been observed for galvanized parts, in particular in cosmetic and cut-edge corrosion. This increase is linked to the sacrificial effect or cathodic protection provided by the layer containing zinc. Daimler AG is investigating the possibility of improving performance of PHS body parts in terms of suitability for direct hot stamping and corrosion protection by developing new coating materials. In the following article, the main particularities and challenges involved in both current coating products will be introduced. The development of specific press tools for this study, as well as the corresponding simulation of hot forming will be presented. Finally, the hot forming behaviour and anticorrosive properties of both current products will be presented.