Low heat joining of steel materials

50 years of successful pre-competitive steel application research to promote steel sales are a reason to celebrate!

During this time, the Research Society for Application Technology of Iron and Steel e. V. and today the Research Association for Steel Application (FOSTA e. V.) promoted more than 100 research projects in the field of low heat joining processes, particularly in adhesive technology but also in mechanical and hybrid joining technologies. The FOSTA e. V. recognised the importance of low heat joining processes very early, especially for lightweight construction with steel. The first research project on adhesive technology "bonded shaft-hub joints" was started in 1981 at the LWF® and for mechanical joining "punch riveting of surface refined thin sheets" in 1992.

From strategically targeted research funding through its outstanding partner network of steel manufacturers, users and research centres, FOSTA e. V. made a visible contribution both to the availability of steel materials and to the further development of low heat joining technologies. Systematically, FOSTA e. V. advanced the adhesive bonding suitability of semi-finished steel products and the development of methods for the numerical simulation of the mechanical properties of adhesive bonded steel joints (see Fig. 1) - first through the "Adhesive bonding of Steel" working group founded in 1997 and then as a founder member of the Joint Committee for Adhesive Bonding Technology in 2005, by which the industry-related national adhesive technology research funding is steered and organised to this day. Evidence of the focused and strategic work of FOSTA e. V. are in this context the road map adhesive bonding (see Fig. 2), in which they played a significant role, as well as the great success of the collo- quium "Joint Research in Adhesive Bonding Technology" organised annually in cooperation between FOSTA, DECHEMA, DVS and iVTH".

FOSTA e. V. has a positive impact on the research policy conditions with measurable success and it always keeps a clear focus on the benefits of its research funding for the application-oriented training of junior scientists in the research institutions.

50 years of successful steel application research are a good opportunity to say Thank-you.

We say thank you for funding the numerous research projects in the field of key technical joining technologies, both from the BMWi through the AiF and the Steel Application Research Foundation, as well as the committed support to the research projects by the employees of FOSTA e. V.! We wish the Research Association continued success and look forward to further cooperating partnership to promote steel turnover.

Gerson Meschut, Paul Ludwig Geiß, Bernd Mayer