The Product Development group at ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks (AMTB), Canton, Michigan, United States, has developed a novel floor ring which integrates battery and occupant protection in battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The concept enables OEMs to integrate BEV powertrains in existing body architectures for internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
The floor ring concept makes intensive use of press hardenable steels (PHS) such as Usibor 1500 in laser welded blanks (LWBs). Press hardenable steels offer ultra high strength and the ability to be formed into complex shapes. This makes them ideal for hot stamping processes and enables OEMs to achieve excellent weight reductions across the vehicle.
The result is an optimized body-in-white which is lightweight and protects the battery pack while maximizing the available battery volume.
The floor ring assembly optimizes front, rear, and side crash load paths to ensure the safety of the vehicle’s occupants, and the battery.