November 2023 | At the Blechexpo 2023 in Stuttgart, thyssenkrupp Steel presented, among other things, its broad “Material of Mobility” portfolio: series-ready special steels that are used in body and chassis parts.
Under the motto “Unlock your green potential”, thyssenkrupp Steel demonstrates its commitment to the future of mobility and the development of advanced solutions that power both traditional combustion vehicles and electric vehicles.
jetQ®: E-mobility
In the development of modern, third-generation Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS), thyssenkrupp Steel cooperates closely with the Japanese steel manufacturer JFE Steel Corporation. The latest milestones in the collaboration are the new grades jetQ® 980 and jetQ® 1180 for geometrically complex components of the body structure. The two highly ductile steel grades for cold forming support automotive customers with the current challenges of vehicle design – especially in e-mobility.
The construction of electric vehicles requires materials with a high strength that can be easily formed. This is exactly what sets jetQ® apart: The high elongation at break, the pronounced hole expansion capacity and the strong resistance to edge failure allow for the first time more complex component geometries with high stretching and deep-drawing components in the shaping. In this way, jetQ® 980 and jetQ® 1180 open up new cost reduction and lightweight construction potential for customers.
MBW® AS Pro: alloy concept
With AS Pro, thyssenkrupp Steel is the first steel manufacturer in the world to offer a new, groundbreaking coating for the hot forming of high-strength MBW® steels on the market – for maximum component safety in cars. It significantly minimizes the process-related hydrogen absorption during the annealing process in hot forming and ensures a more economical manufacturing process. AS Pro is brought onto the production line in thyssenkrupp Steel’s modern hot-dip coating facilities. In contrast to the standard AS coating, in addition to aluminum and silicon, a targeted amount of magnesium is added to the melt pool, which is homogeneously distributed both in the melt and in the coating.
With this small change, AS Pro ensures that significantly less diffusible hydrogen is formed during the annealing process, which can penetrate into the material. This minimizes the risk of hydrogen-induced cracking. Together with the MBW® 1900, which is now ready for series production, AS Pro forms the optimal combination for maximum performance of hot-formed components.
Economical lightweight steel seating structures
With the use of high-strength steels from thyssenkrupp Steel, modern, diverse requirements for seat components can be optimally met: Modern vehicle seats should be light and crash-proof, take up little space, and can be produced cost-effectively – and without any restrictions on comfort. From highly ductile, narrow-tolerance hot strip and medium strip to cold-rolled, high-strength multi-phase steels, customers will find this in the thyssenkrupp Steel portfolio – the best forming and joining properties included.
Added to this are the potential weight savings: today an average car seat weighs around 12.5 kilograms – just in terms of the supporting seat structures. The front and rear seat structures of a car weigh a total of around 50 kilograms. A portfolio of steel grades tailored to the specific seating requirements can help reduce weight by up to 15 percent – and at no cost at all.