"Car manufacturers are working on reducing car weight without jeopardising passenger safety"
TECNALIA leads the development of new low-density steels for forged components in collaboration with Sidenor R&D and the UPV/EHU
In recent years, TECNALIA has led the ABADE (low density steels) and COFADEN (high temperature phase control of low density steels) projects. The development of new low-density steel grades for forged components are being researched, with the participation of Sidenor R&D and the UPV/EHU.
The low density steels developed in the project are alloys that reduce the usual density of steel. They can reach strengths in excess of 1,100 MPa, while maintaining acceptable ductility. These steels would reduce the weight of the forged component by almost 30 %, although the complexity of the thermochemical processes, which take place at high temperature, requires very detailed research for their industrial implementation.
To comply with stringent European policies on CO2 emissions, car manufacturers are working to reduce car weight without jeopardising passenger safety. Various strategies are now being adopted, such as reducing the density of the material used. Steel competes with other lighter materials, such as aluminium and magnesium, although steel has the great advantage of being the most recyclable material.
TECNALIA as an international reference
The conclusions and recommendations for the future development of these steels enjoy an international scope and have been included in three publications. Moreover, as a result of this work, the CIRMETAL platform’s research team (Idurre Kaltzakorta and Teresa Gutiérrez) has been invited to participate as speakers in two international conferences this year.
Last August, we participated in the "5th International Conference on Material Strength and Applied Mechanics" (MSAM 2022) held in China, and last week, we participated in the "3rd Edition of the International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering" (MAT2022), an on-line event promoted by Scopus.
If you are interested in learning more about our capabilities in the development of low density steel for forged components, do not hesitate to contact our expert team.
*The ABADE and COFADEN projects are funded by the Basque Government’s ELKARTEK programme.
