StringGirl made her way over to Livonia for the "Great Designs in Steel" conference along with the Self-proclaimed-die-expert. At the conference she learned more than most imaginary characters will ever know about High strength steel and it's impact on design, manufacture and performance.
Presentations on the Chevy Sonic illustrated how HSS and AHSS are taking new vehicles to unparalleled performance in crash and structural integrity of cars. She saw how Ford is using hydroforming of HSS to reinvent vehicle architecture and safety.
Other presentations demonstrated how safer vehicles is making the job of emergency first responders more difficult. As HSS and AHSS content make crash intrusion more avoidable, passenger extrication is made near impossible for many fire departments. There is little support for the emergency responders in their job if they find a victim trapped in a late model vehicle built from these advanced materials.
It proved a very enlightening day on the topic of vehicle design.
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