Structure

REMINDER

The structure of this vehicle is partly made of very high yield strength steel sheet components (refer to the paragraph "part designation").

CHARACTERISTICS OF VERY HIGH YIELD STRENGTH STEEL SHEET

As their name indicates, these sheets are very hard and very elastic. They require special stamping techniques, and in repair they cannot be straightened using the conventional equipment used in bodywork repair.

REMINDER:

Heating this type of sheet to straighten it is strongly discouraged, as annealing alters the properties of the metal.

This requires systematic replacement of damaged parts, either in full or by partial cutting.

To spot-weld drill out the original spot welds on this type of sheet, it is recommended to use "HSS" spot-cutter drill bits; otherwise, preferably use a grinding disc or a tungsten carbide cutter.

Regarding weldability: for MAG arc welding, there are no specific instructions. For resistance spot welding, the setting parameters (current and pressure) remain unchanged compared with high yield strength steel sheet, provided that the sheets to be joined are perfectly aligned.

This vehicle also includes structural components produced by "LASER butt-welding" of sheets of different thicknesses and sometimes different grades, for example the front side member:

Part A: High yield strength steel sheet XE 280P, thickness 1.7 mm
Part B: Very high yield strength steel sheet HE 450M, thickness 2.5 mm
Part C: High yield strength steel sheet XE 280P, thickness 1.7 mm
Part D: Very high yield strength steel sheet 450M, thickness 3 mm

In the detailed method descriptions, when two sheet thickness values appear for the same part, this means that the part is made of two sheets butt-welded at the factory.

Thickness matching is done starting from the outer end of the part toward the passenger compartment (direction of impact).

EXPLODED VIEWS OF ELEMENTS CONTAINING VERY HIGH YIELD STRENGTH STEEL SHEET