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B-pillar ‘tailor rolled’ to 8 different thicknesses

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The 2013 Ford Focus is packed full of boron and other ultra-high strength steels.  But, let’s take a look at the B-pillar and the material it is made from.  The B-pillar is made from tailored rolled steel blanks that allow parts to have different thicknesses through one part.  The important nugget to take away from this is if a cutter ever stalls during a cut, simply moving the tool up or down an inch or two can allow the cut to be successful.

2013 Ford Focus B-Pillar Body Structure

Colors indicate eight different thicknesses in the B-pillar post of the forthcoming Ford Focus. The right-hand color strip starts with the thinnest sections at the bottom (four shades of blue), rising to two shades of green and then one each of yellow and orange (thickest at 2.7 mm). The eight thicknesses on the Focus B-pillar range from a maximum of 2.7 mm (0.1 in) to as thin as 1.35 mm (0.05 in). The engineering of the shape puts the greatest thicknesses where they are needed for maximum strength in side impacts, and in the case of the B-pillar it’s just above the midpoint (orange area in illustration).

Check out the body structure of the 2012 Ford Focus which is carried over into the 2013 model.

Extrication Train the Trainer in the Detroit Area

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If you are looking for a train the trainer extrication course in the Detroit area, look no further!  Brock Archer, Ron Moore (from Firehouse Magazine and the University of Extrication) and myself are teaching a 5 day extrication course.  The classroom portion will be at the Ann Arbor Fire Department and the hands on training will be by Detroit Metro Airport.  Brock will be bringing his West Coast extrication knowledge to the Motor City! Ron Moore will also be presenting, I have stated this before, every firefighter needs to see Ron present in person!  This will be a course that everyone will be talking about!

Check out the flyer below and the course outline and contact me with any questions.

Extrication FDIC Train the Trainer Ron Moore Brock Archer Detroit

Crash Recovery System for Android in April!

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The very fine folks at Moditech annouced in their latest newsltter that the Crash Recovery System for Android will be availible in April!  The availability of the Crash Recovery System for different hardware platforms is a declared objective of Moditech Rescue Solutions B.V. This allows our users maximum flexibility in selection of the necessary hardware. Among the CRS editions for different versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Apps for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad the Crash Recovery System family will soon become two additional members.

Currently, two apps for devices with the operating system Android are in the works. CRS Lite for Android will be specifically designed for users of Android smartphones and will have similar functions as the CRS Lite Edition and iCRS Lite for iPhone. For users of Android Tablet PCs the App CRS Standard for Android is under development, covering similar functions as the CRS and iCRS Standard Editions, joining the vehicle graphics with extensive illustrated background and deactivation information.

Weber Rescue Tips and Tricks: Ram the Roof

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Here a quick step by step from Weber Rescue on how to complete a Fahrzeugsäulen reiben.  What’s a  Fahrzeugsäulen reiben?  Translated from German to Vehicle column rub.  Also known as a Ram the Roof!

Weber Rescue Extrication Tips Tricks B-pillar Ram Roof

Steps:

  1. Stabilize the vehicle.  Make sure there is adequate cribbing to support the ram on the rocker panels.
  2. Remove the doors
  3. Clear the rocker panel to bare metal
  4. Position the ram with the base on the rocker panel and the piston end on the roof rail rearward of the b-pillar
  5. Extend the ram to tear the b-pillar from the roof rail.  If the b-pillar does not completely separate, reposition the ram in front of the b-pillar and extend the ram to separate the rest of the b-pillar.

Body Structure: Impact-absorbing body and high-strength cabin

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Toyota used the image below to simply explain how an impact absorbing body and a high strength cabin protects occupants. Just remember, the toughest still will be in the cabin area but can extend into the impact absorbing area too.  Never assume your cutters cannot cut any part of the vehicle, if your cutters stall, go to plan b.  Plan B can be as simple as repositioning the tool.

In order to help reduce the impact on the occupants during a collision and reduce cabin deformation, crumple zones at the front and rear of the vehicle absorb the impact with high efficiency. The cabin uses a body structure that is strong and does not deform easily. To help protect occupants during side collisions, where little crumple zone is available, a high-strength body frame, including the center pillar and the floor cross member, absorbs the impact with decreased deformation.

Hurst FDIC Display

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Hurst….. Well every major extrication tool manufacturer had a great display of tools set up at FDIC.  Hurst had a 2011 Ford Fiesta in a plexi-glass box where factory reps cut it to pieces in front of visitors at their booth.  There was also a stack of Boron B-pillars that I would have loved to sneak out the back.  There was also an outside demo area by Lucas Oil Stadium where conference attendees could put on some PPE and make some cuts on a car.  Best part of the outside demo on Friday was Hurst had a bar set up next to the display!

2007-2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Body Structure

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Just remember, most Subarus are going to made of a ton of Boron and other UHSS.  The Subaru Impreza WRX STi is no different.  Just take a look at all the red colored pieces of the body structure below. 

Reciprocating Saws vs Boron Steel

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Take a look at a test my friend across the Pond did on cutting boron steel with a reciprocating saw (or Sawzall if you are a Milwaukee Electric Tool fan).  Basically, John from RTC Rescue over in the UK shows that a reciprocating saw is useless trying to cut thru the boron directly. Boron steel will remove and or round the teeth on reciprocating saw blades.  That fact is really nothing new.  Blade manufacturers are working on improving the cutting ability of the blades.   Check the video out, John tries to cut the B-Pillar from a 2009 Mercedes C-Class with different blades and models of saws with no luck.

2011 Ford Fiesta Boron Body Cage

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Over 50% of the new 2011 Ford Fiesta’s body structure is constructed out of lightweight, incredibly high-strength Boron steel.  The use of Boron Steel is borrowed from Volvo. However, the super steel compound was only used in select key areas, including the Fiesta’s floor structure, front rails and beams, and the integrated “body-side reinforcement.” Essentially an extremely complex roll cage, the primary structural components of the body-side reinforcement include the slim A-pillar, the intrusion-resistant B-pillar, the rocker panels to which the B-pillar is fixed, the stabilizing rocker baffles, side roof arch and the lower A-pillar.

Hot Press Harderned Boron B-Pillars

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How strong is manganese-boron steel?  The image below shows how hot the boron blank is hotted up to before it is stamped!

By adding heat to the stamping process the B-Pillars can have the tensile strength increased by 500MPa.  Standard steel B-Pillars are in the 500-700MPa range whereas this process will make a part into the 1500-1650MPa range.

Stalled Cutters, Blades Spread Apart?

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It is 3am and you are on the scene of a MVA with a single occupant trapped in a late model Subaru that has the passenger side of the vehicle resting against the right shoulder wall. Your rescue company makes quick work of stabilizing the vehicle and negating any hazards. The windshield is removed and a firefighter positions the hydraulic cutters at the top of the B-Pillar to make the first cut. What are some signs that you should be looking for as the cutter starts the cut? If your cutters encounter Boron or other UHSS that cannot be cut, watch out for the blades to spread apart as the tool stalls out. The moment you notice the blades start to separate, stop cutting and reposition the cutters on a different area of the B-Pillar. Many late model vehicles use tailored blanks to stamp out sheet metal parts. A tailored blank has varying thicknesses throughout the entire part.  So you could easily go from a thickness of 1.8MM to 1.0MM within a few inches. Just remember, if your cutters stalled on a thick part it may still cut through a different part of the Pillar.

2010 Ford Taurus Boron, UHSS, and Body Structure

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Below are a couple of 2010 Ford Taurus pictures of the UHSS and Boron steel used.  The red is the UHSS and Boron.  The B-Pillar is made with Boron. My department ran on an MVA with a new 2010 Taurus and our Hurst MOC II Cutters made easy work cutting thru the B-Pillar.

Ford uses SPACE Architecture which stands for Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement What is interesting about the 2010 Taurus, is a hydroformed cross-car beam embedded in the floor between the door frames.  During a side impact crash, the beam helps divert crash forces away from the occupants. The roof is also tied into the floor beam. A strong roof crossmember and side-impact door beams work with the floor-mounted tube to further enhance side-impact protection.

Ford F150 Roof and B-Pillar made of UHSS and Boron

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Take a look at the image below. There is some major reinforcements in the roof in the B-Pillar area. Robotic YAG laser welders put the cab cage together with continuous seam weld joining hydro formed tubes in pillars and roof panels. The B-pillar uses Boron steel, the roof features industry’s first use of DP-780 super high-strength, dual-phase steel in the hydroformed roof front. High strength steel tubes run from the base of the A-pillar through the roof forming a roll cage.

Why should a Firefighter Understand New Steel Technology?

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Simple! Look at the image below and think of it painted. We could easily overlook the fact that this B-Pillar structure is made up of 3 different blanks and two different gauges of materials. How will you know that you are dealing with a tailored blank?
Look at the image below with the white arrows. The arrows are pointing to laser welds. Laser welds are suited to tailored blank production as they are very narrow, have no raised top- or under-bead and do not require special finishing.

The B-Pillar on the 2004 Ford F-150 below uses a tailor-welded blank.

Below you can see where the white arrow is pointing to zoomed in. On this B-pillar, the thicker and stronger steel is below the laser weld.

Tailor-welded blanks allow combining different strengths of steel in one part without adding complications at the joints. Watch for this design method to be used more with each model year.

Subaru, UHSS, and Boron

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After several request for information on the Boron and Ultra-high Strength Steel (UHSS) used in Subaru vehicles I decided to put together a post. Subaru is well known for the use of Boron and UHSS so I steered cleared of focusing too much attention on that automaker. A safe assumption is to consider a Subaru as an “Extrication Challenge”! For example, the B-Pillar on the 2004 Subaru WRX Sti is constructed with “two” solid UHSS bars running the entire length of the it. The roof reinforcements have the two solid UHSS bars running the lengh through the roof posts.

Subaru uses a Ring–shaped Reinforcement Frame body structure in construction of their vehicles. This structure has been used in Subaru vehicles since 2002.

If you want a structure to withstand the intense energy of a car crash, you
need to build it with the highest quality materials. Subaru reinforces the key
structural elements of its vehicles by building them with the most durable
high-tensile steel. Because we see so much of the frame as key to your safety,
nearly 40% of our Ring-shaped reinforcement Frame is constructed of high-tensile steel.

Subaru takes safety very serious. Remember what I have stated in the past. When a vehicle gets 5-stars on the side impact test by the government, that equals boron and UHSS! The 2010 Subaru Impreza scored a perfect five stars for frontal crash protection, five stars for front occupants in a side crash and four stars for rear occupants in a side crash.

NHTSA Ratings for the 2010 Subaru Impreza:

  • Passenger: 5 stars
  • Driver: 5 stars
  • Side Impact Front: 5 stars
  • Side Impact Rear: 4 stars
  • Rollover Rating: 4 stars

The 2010 Subaru Forester received all 5 star rating for the NHTSA tests. So consider that a vehicle with some reinforcements underneath that will cause problems for an extrication team.

Why is all of this important? Take a look at the picture to the left. See anything strange about the B-Pillar? The Orangeburg Fire Department in New York tried to cut the B-Pillar of a four-door Subaru WRX STi without success. Believe it or not, this photo is over 4 years old! That was at least a 2004 model year vehicle, maybe even a few years earlier. The photo below is why the firefighters were not able to cut through the B-Pillar. Would your cutters cut through that? Boron and UHSS is everywhere so study vehicle design and train on different extrication techniques! Like Ron Moore says, you need to have a Plan A,B,C,D, etc!

Take a moment and download the Overcoming Extrication Challenges with Boron and UHSS Guide. The guide is no sure fire solution and was put together as a starting point for firefighters and first responders to understand what problems Boron and UHSS can cause and different work around techniques to get past those materials. The guide utilizes information from this site, other sites, and a presentation online called The Challenges of Extrication Involving Vehicles with Advanced Steel Structures that Ron Moore and Firehouse.com hosted in October 2009.

Subaru Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Body Structure

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Many first responders are well aware of the fact that if they encounter a Subaru vehicle in a MVA, there will be UHSS or Boron to deal with. Here is so information that Subaru made available on their website.

The A-Pillars and B-Pillars in the Subaru Forester are reinforced with Ultra-High Strength Steels. For example, notice the orange colored rod in the image of the B-pillars on the left? That short reinforcement rod mounted along the mid section of the B-pillar is Boron. The reinforcement that is colored blue is a steel plate made from UHSS. Both are in the same location on the B-Pillar. These Notice the solid steel rod in the A-Pillar section on the right? That is a Boron reinforcement what Ron Moore calls a “rod that resembled a concrete reinforcement bar (rebar)”.

Subaru uses what is called a Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frame. The structural body pieces form three rings the connect around the sides, top, and bottom of the vehicle. Below is an image of the Subaru Forester. The green body structure members are what makes up the Ring-Shaped Reinforcement. The three Ring-Shaped reinforcement sections include the A-, B- and C-pillars.

Volvo XC90 BIW Boron and UHSS

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The XC90’s body structure as shown in the image below. High strength steels (Dual Phase, HSLA and el Rephos) make up the majority of the front end and rear structure. The front rails are hydroformed. Of the 13 parts that make up the roof and side structures, seven are Dual Phase 600, with Boron and el Rephos making up the remainder of that structure. The B-Pillar outer was designed in Boron steel to reduce weight and because of its formability for this type of part. The B-Roof bow and the rear seat frame are also made of Boron.

I know must firefighters are familiar with Volvo use of Boron and UHSS. I just liked the brake down of the parts in the image above. Understanding what the parts we cut up look like is very important to understanding each parts role in the safety cage of a vehicle.

Extrication Challenges of Advanced Steel

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Firehouse has section on their website and magazine called University of extrication with most articles written by Ron Moore. Ron wrote a 5 part series on the Extrication Challenges of Advanced Steel In Vehicles:

The 5 parts are in pdf format (download the Download Adobe Reader if you do not have it) and print them off. The New Rescue Techniques in Part 5 are a departure from the traditional extrication methods and are definitely outside-of-the-box thinking. Look at the “Pie Cut”, “Lifting the B-Pillar”, “Spreading the B-Pillar”, “Ramming the Roof Off”, and “Total Sunroof ” extrication methods. While these methods were preformed on a car to simulate one with boron and UHSS you should think about trying it to. How many times do we drill or practice extrication the same way over and over. Add one of these methods, maybe all of them to your mental tool box because when you have a MVA with entrapment on a late model vehicle loaded with UHSS is a little too late to think about how!

Boron B-pillars in Ford Vehicles

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Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan get some of their core strength from the use of lightweight aluminum-coated boron steel – one of the strongest weld-able materials – in the body structure. The use of high-strength steel in the B-pillars is only part of their robust safety profile.

2008 BMW X5

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BMW wanted to meet the requirements of any side crash test. So Ultra-high Strength Steel was used in many different parts of the body structure. The side frames are made with UHSS and the B-Pillar is reinforced with every one’s favorite steel, boron. The B-pillar reinforcement was made of hot formed boron steel. What is good to know about this reinforcement is the distinctly higher wall thickness in the center area than in the upper and lower ends. You may what to put that knowledge under your helmet!

2010 Ford Taurus and Boron Steel

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The content of ultra high-strength boron steel in the New 2010 Ford Taurus is no widely known. However, the B-pillar features ultra high-strength boron steel for added side impact protection. Another important feature to note about the body structure of the Taurus is the Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE™). This architecture is comprised of a hydroformed cross-car beam embedded in the floor between the door frames, providing additional strength in the side of the vehicle. In the event of a side impact, the beam helps divert crash forces away from the occupants. A strong roof cross member and side impact door beams work with the floor-mounted tube to further improve side impact protection. Just remember to have this information in the back of your head if you need to roll a dash or take the roof.