Sheet Metal, Material Information
Information about
- See «Aluminum»(ref-415461-S37214885922011081500000)
- See «Plastic And Aluminum Components»(ref-415461-S35379164312011081500000)
- See «Galvanized Components»(ref-415461-S17888425392011081500000)
- See «HSS/BORON»(ref-415461-S25128657132011111000000) Steel.
Aluminum
Aluminum
Certain components are manufactured of aluminum.
The aluminum plate is called ALMG3. It contains 3% magnesium to make it rigid enough for use in bodywork.
Aluminum sheet alloyed in this way is one of the non-hardenable alloys and so does not lose its strength when heated or welded.
Its melting point is 630°C (1166°F).
It can be aligned and worked if you are careful.
Working on aluminum sheet requires training
Welding
TIG-welding is the most suitable method for welding aluminum.
MIG welding can be used for minor repairs - for example a spot weld that has come loose, small holes or a crack in the vicinity of edges.
Aligning
Try to push out the damage first.
Use a wooden mallet, rubber hammer or light sheet metal hammer.
Use a wooden or hard rubber counterhold.
Where large areas are involved, sheet may "harden" and be very difficult to align any further.
Such areas may have been subject to deformation hardening and therefore must be solution-annealed to restore their original characteristics.
Solution annealing
The deformation hardened area should be heated to 350°C (662°F) with a cutting burner on low flame.
The temperature can be checked with a digital temperature gauge, thermostat or a piece of wood run over the sheet.
If the piece of wood leaves a faint brown mark, the temperature is approximately 350°C (662°F).
Let the sheet cool and start straightening.
Solution annealing can be repeated until straightening work is complete.
Shrinking
Shrinking is done with gas flame or carbon rod.
The method is the same as for normal body panels.
Note. Aluminum will not change color or turn red when the temperature is correct.
The gas flame should therefore be applied to the sheet in the same way as for body panels but then be removed when the aluminum starts to rise: Cool quickly with a wet cloth.
Repeat until normal sheet tension is obtained.
Filing and grinding
If using a body file, be very careful, as aluminum sheet is very soft and the file can cut in very quickly.
It is preferable to use a grinding block with 60 grade paper.
When circle grinding use a low speed machine (1200 rpm) with grinding disc and 80 grade paper.
Base filling
Filling can be done with solder or plastic filler.
If filling with solder, use only ordinary body solder not solder paste.
Solder by rubbing the warmed flux onto the ground aluminum plate.
Use a soldering torch and normal steel wire brush.
Then continue solder filling normally.
Plastic filling can only be carried out when the plate is ground and clean.
Certain types of filler require the plate to be primed before filling.
Galvanized Components
Note. Those components which are available as galvanized replacement parts are displayed darker in the following graphics. Those components not galvanized are displayed lighter.
Volvo uses a large number of body components of single-, double-sided and extra-thickness galvanized steel. This is to achieve the best possible protection against corrosion. Take care not to damage galvanized components when carrying out body repairs, or when grinding or sanding.
On completing work, damaged galvanizing must be replaced with single component filler primer.
Scheme 72
Scheme 73
Scheme 74
Scheme 75
Plastic And Aluminum Components
Plastic and aluminum components
Scheme 76
HSS material
HSS is a common term for steel within certain strength parameters (high strength steel).
HSS stands for H igh S trength S teel.
The vehicles are constructed from a number of different steels, partly to obtain an optimized body (collision safety, rigidity, fuel economy, etc.) and partly to make them as easy to repair as possible.
The steels are divided into four groups according to their tensile yield stress, that is to say the force that is necessary to bring about plastic deformation of the material
These groups are
MS - M ild S teel. Trade steel with a highest tensile yield limit of 220 Mpa.
HS - H igh strength S teel. Steel with a yield point of 220 - 450 MPa.
EHS - E xtra H igh strength S teel. Steel with a yield point of 450 - 800 MPa.
UHS - U ltra H igh strength S teel. Steel with a yield point of 800 - 1400 MPa.
Soft Steel
This material is sometimes called commercial steel. This group of steels accounts for the highest proportion (50-60%) of the materials from which the car is made and it is used where the need for a stronger steel cannot be justified.
High-strength Steel
This group consists of three main types of steel
- Phosphorus-alloy steel which gets some of its increased strength from the alloying constituent phosphorus.
- HSLA steel ( H igh S trength L ow A lloy). This is a low-alloy steel which obtains some of its increased strength from the alloying constituents Vanadium, Niobium or Titanium.
- DP steel ( D ual P hase). This steel gets its increased strength from the heat treatment it is given during manufacture. This is where a dual phase structure of ferrite (iron) and martensite (carbon) is formed. This steel loses its strength if exposed to temperatures above 300°C.
Extra High-strength Steel
This group includes both HSLA and DP steel but their strength is further increased with larger proportions of alloying constituents.
Ultra High-strength Steel
This group consists of two main types of steel.
DP steel. Here the strength has been successfully increased through an advanced manufacturing process and a higher proportion of alloying constituents.
BORON steel/Material
The strength of this material is obtained through the addition of the element Boron and also its comparatively large carbon content. The sheet metal sections are formed in the incandescent phase between punch and die where hardening of the material also takes place.
HSS steel
HSS-steel (HSS = High Strength Steel) has a higher yield point and ultimate tensile strength than ordinary sheet steel.
The yield point of the material increases with heat treatment.
HSS steel may therefore be more difficult to straighten than ordinary sheet steel.
- All welding work should be carried out in accordance with this manual.
Note. "Heat-straightening" of the sheet steel, such as in an alignment bench, must not be performed.
When an alignment bench is used, HSS components may prove troublesome if the counterstay is not correctly positioned so that the maximum power of the puller is used.
It is therefore necessary to pay attention to the way the body reacts to the puller and make sure that only the deformed area moves.
All body parts are made of HSS.
The grey areas in the pictures have HSS with a yield point above 340 N/mm2 and extra care must therefore be taken when repairs are carried out.
HSS Steel/Boron Steel Identification (1 Of 4). Scheme 77
HSS Steel/Boron Steel Identification (2 Of 4). Scheme 78
HSS Steel/Boron Steel Identification (3 Of 4). Scheme 79
The parts marked black are made of BORON steel. BORON steel has an extremely high yield point and ultimate tensile strength. When replacing BORON steel body parts the spot welds cannot be drilled out and grinding or plasma cutting is used instead. BORON steel exhibits good weldability.
Galvanizing is not possible in the manufacture of BORON steel. It is therefore extremely important to treat these parts with corrosion inhibitor.
Note. BORON steel does not lend itself well to straightening.
Note. Making joints in BORON steel is allowed where the method employed indicates this. Prepare accurate templates and use a cutting wheel or plasma cutting equipment.
Note. BORON steel must not be heated
Note. Protect interior equipment and glass when grinding or plasma cutting.
HSS Steel/Boron Steel Identification (4 Of 4). Scheme 80
Welding, General
Note. The graphics in this service information are used for different model years and/or models. Some variation may occur. However, the essential information in the graphics is always correct.
Volvo bodies are manufactured to the highest quality. All bodywork repairs must therefore take place following the same principles. Use light tools. Take care of the surface coating, electro dip (ED) and phosphating.
Always use welding primer between welded panel flanges.
Prior To Welding
| CAUTION | Always remove the battery cables before welding in accordance with Battery, Disconnecting . |
| CAUTION | Locate the welding ground connection as close as possible to the welding point. |
| CAUTION | If the welding must be carried out in the immediate vicinity of an electronic unit then this must be removed. |
Resistance Spot Welding
Resistance spot welding must primarily be used if the capacity of the welding equipment is matched to panel thickness. When carrying out resistance spot welding, grind down to bare metal.
Clean the surfaces with Scotch-Brite or similar to minimize zinc and phosphating damage. Apply welding primer between the panels.
Note. Always test weld in accordance with the method below. Always set the weld according to panel quality
MAG Welding
Punch replacement part for plug welding.
Select size of hole for plug welding according to the following panel thicknesses
8 mm for thicknesses less than 2.5 mm
10 mm or more for thicknesses above 2.5 mm.
Scheme 81
Test weld several test pieces. Break the panels apart and measure the size of the welding lens diameter (A), see graphic.
Scheme 82
Note. Use welding primer on all internal flanges.
Add filling primer if there is grinding damage.
| CAUTION | Make sure that the spot welds take properly on both panels. |
Scheme 83
Grind down the plug weld.
| CAUTION | Only grind welds, not the adjacent panel. |