A consortium consisting of Tata Steel Nederland, Volkswagen Group and several academic research institutes has announced significant progress in the development of a new zinc coated, ultra-strong steels specifically designed for automotive crash structures.
The project – Warm Press Formed Zinc Coated Third Generation Advanced High Strength Steels with High Crash and Corrosion Resistance and Minimized Microcracking (WarP-AHSS) – aims to improve passenger safety and support more sustainable steel production.
Ultra-strong steels used in automotive crash structures are usually hot-formed at very high temperatures. At those temperatures, the zinc coating on the steel can melt, resulting in cracking. For that reason, manufacturers often use aluminium silicon coated steels. Those can withstand high temperatures but offer lower corrosion resistance, Kallanish understands.
“By developing this new high quality steel grades, we address these limitations,” says Radhakanta Rana, metallurgist at Tata Steel Nederland and project leader of WarP-AHSS. “By combining ultra-high strength with exceptional in-service formability, these new steels can absorb significantly more crash energy.”
For automotive manufacturers, a zinc coating, processed at lower temperatures, eliminates the need for additional processes such as sand blasting and provides improved corrosion resistance, Tata notes. In addition to better safety performance, the steel facilitates simpler manufacturing processes, and lower part-making costs, says Christina Sunderkötter, project manager Sustainability Solutions from Volkswagen group.
WarP-AHSS is funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) on behalf of the European Commission. The project runs from 2023 until 2027.
