High-yield ultra-high-strength steel

Tata Steel launches new automotive steel grade combining crash protection with 15 per cent weight reduction

Der innovative Stahl DP1000HY von Tata Steel kommt bei der Herstellung von Crashbauteilen für Fahrzeuge zum Einsatz. © Tata Steel

Tata Steel, Europe’s second largest steel producer, has just launched the latest in its family of dual-phase steels, DP1000HY-GI*, making it one of the first to bring this innovative product to market.

This high-yield ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) comes in response to market requirements for stronger and lighter automotive steels. Its combination of strength and formability, with no increase in processing effort and a reduction in weight, makes it the ideal material for the crash structure of a vehicle.

The high yield strength of DP1000HY, which allows the material to endure high stress during deformation and therefore absorbs more crash energy, is most suitable for making components including A and B pillar reinforcement, sills, door beams and cross members.

The strength of this steel also allows designers to reduce material consumption, offering the potential of an eight to 15 per cent decrease in component weight depending on the steel grade being replaced. Its superior formability makes it suitable for creating relatively complex shapes while its optimal energy absorption capability is ideal for making crash-relevant components.

DP1000HY incorporates carbon and manganese to increase the strength and hardenability of the steel. A critical consideration of this new grade was creating a product that doesn’t require customers to alter their processing facilities to handle it. Tata Steel worked closely with customers throughout development to ensure the chemistry of the steel would not alter its manufacturability in existing systems.

DP1000HY has been specially developed by Tata Steel to meet the requirements of the German association of car manufacturers, the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA). This ensures that DP1000HY is able to meet stringent automotive safety requirements demanded by vehicle manufacturers globally.

Sander Heinhuis, Tata Steel’s European Marketing Manager for Automotive, said: “The safety of occupants is the most important consideration when designing a vehicle, but with the ever-increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, it is vital manufacturers use materials which are as light as possible.

“Through the development of DP1000HY, Tata Steel has combined high yield, ultra high strength and formability, allowing automotive manufacturers to reduce the thickness of the steel they use. They can consequently achieve impressive crash protection and at the same time have the option of reducing weight. We are working closely with our customers to demonstrate the benefits they can achieve from using this product.”

DP1000HY is available in a range of dimensions, with a thickness of up to two millimetres and a width of up to 1400 millimetres. It is finished with a hot-dipped galvanised coating, offering good corrosion protection and making it a cost-effective body structure solution.

Production of DP1000HY started last month. Tata Steel will process orders for new and existing customers from its production facility at IJmuiden in the Netherlands. This latest addition to Tata Steel’s range of dual-phase steels means the company can now offer three strength levels of 600, 800 and 1000 megapascals.

Source: Tata Steel