Boron Extrication An in-depth look into vehicle extrication and rescues involving today's automobiles
2017 Volvo V90
Automakers are making the lower A-pillar (often called the “Hinge Pillar”) wider and deeper. In addition to size, Ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) are used in this area. Another area were these UHSS steels are used? In front of the A-Pillar in the wheel well. The good old days of notching the wheel well with the cutters on the lower A-pillar cut and letting the metal rip as the dash lifts are grinding to a halt. These UHSS do not tear!
The 2017 Volvo V90 body structure is color-coded, based on material use.
- Gray is mild steel
- Blue is high-strength steel
- Yellow is very high-strength steel
- Orange is extra high-strength steel
- Red is ultra-high-strength steel
- Green is Aluminum
The V90 is built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). As is the S90. And the XC90. The XC90 is the first vehicle built on SPA. Volvo points out that the first-generation XC90 had a safety cage that used 7 percent hot-formed boron steel. But the second-generation XC90, like other SPA-based vehicles, goes much further: 40 percent boron steel.
