Advanced design, monitoring , development and validation of novel HIgh PERformance MATerials and components

Project Information

HIPERMAT

Grant agreement ID: 958196

DOI

10.3030/958196

Project closed

EC signature date 24 September 2020

Start date 1 November 2020

End date 30 April 2024

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced manufacturing and processing

Total cost

€ 5 360 042,50

EU contribution

€ 5 360 042,50

Coordinated by

FUNDACION AZTERLAN
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HIPERMAT (Advanced design, monitoring , development and validation of novel HIgh PERformance MATerials and components)

Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Main objectives and KPI of the project have been linked with increasing lifetime of the components in a 40-35% rendering the life extension of the furnace, increase in resources use as spare part in a 40%, reduction of non-programmed stops from 6 to 1, energy efficiency improvement in a 2% and CO2 emissions reduction. . Main degradation mechanis of beams and rings componens inside the furnace are wear and creep. Creep properties and wear rate have increased significantly based on tests carried out over tests samples and component like geometries. This means that furnace life extension will be increased proportional to the augmentation of component material properties. The replacement quantity per year in hot stamping furnace will be in the most favourable estimated case of a 88,24% less that in current running conditions. The improvement in tests carried out to test samples representative of the alloys confirms the better performance and potential higher extension in their use up to 8,65 times more current life of 30 years.
Energy efficiency reduction of most promising use case comprises energy savings due to energy required to melt spare parts and energy saved due to less non-rpogrammed stops. this stops are estimated to be reduced from 6 to 1 per year in the most favorable case maintaining always a stop for programmed maintenance. This data represents a 2,10% energy saving per ton of hot stamped parts and Global Warning Potential (GWP) reduction measured as emission of CO2 in kg of a 2,08% in all the manufacturing value chain.
Prototypes beams and rings incororating the combination of technologies and new alloys have been manufactured and incorporated in a real hot stamping furnace and their performance will be studied after their period of use.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

From the beginning of the project to the end of it after 42 months of activities performance, they have consisted mainly in a first step of design of materials and processses followed by the validation of new alloys, manufacturing technologies of components at lab level separately, combining new materials with new manufacturing technologies to produce component like geometries and embedded sensors and validating them at lab scale, followed by the manufacturing of prototypes checking them in industrial environment. All these activities have been supported by a continuous modelling of materials process and environmental performance . The technical project activities have been complemented with coordination activities (WP1) and dissemination and communication activities (WP7).
Main results that have been achieved are summarized underneath:
R1-A refractory stainless steel for beams manufacturing with superior properties in terms of creep and wear compared with current alloy in use (REF) identified as BEEN1 has been validated..(AZT)
R2. A refractory stainless steel with high wear and creep resistance identified as alloy R, has been validated in rings.(AZT)
R3. Printed sensors for high temperature applications have been validated at lab scale with good coherency with traditional wire based types.(CRM)
R4. High entropy alloy has been tested for application as LMD with cracks presence being non-succesful.(CEIT)
R5. A Haynes 230 superalloy applied by LMD on a ring . Wear test at lab level have shown a significant wear improvement in its performance compared with the current alloy in use.(CEIT)
R6. A new CERMET coating has been applied and validated initially at lab level, later at component like geometry and finally in one ring.(FRAU)
R7 The hydrosolidification process has been developed with a significant creep and creep crack growth rate improvement compared with a current alloy.(AZT)
R8 A combined material and process strategy has been followed in the case of LMD application the modelling has shown good coherency between predictions and results.(ESI)
R9 The set of data regarding creep and their link with microstructure have been used for material database completion for the prediction of this parameter.(QUEST).
R10 Embedded sensors have been integrated in one ceramic beam inside the furnace and their behavior has been monitored. The accuracy in measuring has been good.(CRM)
R11 A data analytics software has been used to determine main critical aspects in terms of bulk material development to achieve improved values of high temperature resistance.(AZT).
R12. Software has been adapted to each type of alloy and process under study incorporating or removing different variables depending on the case (AZT).
R13. A prototype beam has been manufactured using the industrial facilities using the developed alloy BEEN1 and introduced into the furnace.
R14. Prototype rings in the form of bulk materials (R alloy), Haynes 230 layer applied by LMD and ceramic coating applied by HVOF in rollers and inside the hot stamping furnace.(AMPO)
R15. A current running furnace is testing the prototype beams and rings. (GHI).
R16. Data captured inside the furnace through embedded sensors shows differences with sensors located in furnace walls presenting significant opportunities for better monitoring of temperature of steel blanks that need to be processed. (FRAU).
R17. Opportunities for new alloys development can be found in deep knowledge of main aspects affecting materials creep performance, available for teaching and service providing (KTH).

The results have been disseminated through the participation in conferences in congresses, the dissemination in trade fairs using posters flyers and videos, the dissemination to the industry and coordination with SPIRE08 project through workshops and the generation of scientific publications, being a significant number of them in process to be presented.
Eploitation has been focused in protecting knowledge as a patent of new refractory alloys, grouping different exploitable results in two marketable products; new hot stamping furnace and a new software for smart decission making in metal sector.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The results at the end of the project are a clear demonstration that a deep analysis of materials supported in methodologies and modelling combined with new manufacturing technologies can have a deep impact in companies manufacturing industrial equipment and process industry that uses them. The project has demonstrated that is feasible to speed up the development of more robust metallic component extending their lifetime in high temperature process stages. Extension in the lifetime of components presents a significant effect in the use of resources, energy and CO2 emissions.
The empowering of the hot stamping sector as first stage to promote their products is linked with supplying the car market sector with lighter components in cars rendering to less emissions generation. The second stage is expected to contribute for new developments in other type of furnaces in process industry supporting the decarbonization of this sector required for 2050. The third stage and last but not least represent an opportunity for high temperature stages in renewable energy generation like Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) to cope with tight requirements of materials for high temperature use.

Hot stamping furnace