Strengthened Steel Body Panels

Strengthened Steel Body Panels

Reinforced (high-strength) panels are being used increasingly in our vehicles. You can see the areas where these panels are used in a picture in the Body Collision Repair Manual => 00 High-Strength Hot-Formed Steel

What are high-strength panels?

Optically normal panels, but they posses a higher yield point than normal body panels because of various alloys. That is, with the same force applied to the panel, the dent in the high-strength panel is not as deep as that in a normal body panel.

What must be observed when removing dents?

Dents are removed with standard tools. Due to the higher dent resistance, there is greater rebound so that it may be necessary to expend more force. When buckled areas are reshaped, breaks in the material may occur.

What must be observed when straightening with a bench-type straightening system or hydraulic press?

Due to the greater rebound characteristics of high-strength panels, it must be stretched more than a normal panel before it remains in the desired position. Due to the higher application of force, normal panels that are welded with high-strength panels are strained more. In order to prevent normal panels from yielding or tearing, an additional anchorage must be provided.

CAUTION!
• If a high-strength panel is stretched too much, it suddenly springs back a lot unintentionally!

• For safety reasons, high-strength body panels must not be heated when reforming as with normal body panels!

• Welding high-strength steel is not allowed due to strength reasons.

What must be observed when painting?

If high-strength panels are warmed too quickly by a dryer, they expand. If the panel is firmly secured by spot welds or bonding with reinforcements located behind, dents will appear in these places and remain visible after cooling off. For this reason, heaters should only be brought up to full capacity slowly. The drying can be done safely in a drying booth.

What are high-strength hot-formed steel panels?

They are steel panels that, as their name suggests, are formed in a warm condition at temperatures between 900 °C and 950 °C. The steel panels gain their high strength through a specific cooling process in the reshaping tool. they are form hardened.

The vehicle weight can be reduced without losing strength by using high-strength hot-formed steel panels.