A comprehensive method for studying the degree of thermal damage to steel elements of vehicles using field methods

Introduction. Every year, the number of registered motor vehicles in Russia increases, with an increase of 30 % over the past 10 years. The desire to extend the service life of existing vehicles leads to an increase in breakdowns that lead to fire. The task of identifying places where there was an emergency situation that led to a fire is difficult, especially in the case of a complete burnout of the fuel load of the car. Goals and objectives. The purpose of the work is to create a methodology by which it is possible to conduct studies of cold-formed steel products of the vehicle body to determine the zone of the greatest thermal damage. Each method determines one of the characteristics that changes when the steel is exposed to high temperatures. The main task of the work is to test the possibility of applying these methods in a certain sequence to determine the zone that has undergone more annealing. Research methods. The complex method includes induction thickness measurement, which allows measuring the thickness of a layer of high-temperature oxide; a method for measuring the coercive force or demagnetization currents, as well as a method for measuring microhardness. The latter method will determine the decrease in the hardness of the vehicle body after exposure to high temperatures. Results and its discussion. The obtained data on the degree of thermal damage to cold-deformed steel products of the car body by three independent field methods will increase the reliability of the combustion start zone, which in turn will determine the search zone for the cause of ignition. Conclusion. Determining the specific cause of the fire during the maintenance, repair and operation of vehicles will allow you to exclude similar emergency modes in the future. The introduction of a comprehensive method for investigating the condition of an object after a fire will significantly increase the level of reliability of the results obtained when searching for a breakdown that led to a fire. Keywords: fire source, car body, thermal changes, field methods, complex technique, magnetic properties, scale thickness, microhardness