Aluminum Versus Steel: Ferrous Fights Back with AHSS - ENGINEERING.com
The folks at the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) dropped me a line to point out that advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) are responsible for significant performance improvements and weight reductions in current vehicle platforms. The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu for example uses AHSS to allow a four-inch wheelbase stretch while cutting 300 pounds of weight compared to the 2015 model. The 2016 Nissan Maxima has even dropped 82 pounds with greater torsional rigidity using high-strength steels. Does this mean that steels can compete toe-to-toe with aluminum in automotive body construction. A major advantage of steel is its formability, and the new high-strength grades promise this along with sufficient strength to allow down gauging for weight reduction. Adding strength while maintaining enough ductility when stamping sheets into complex forms is a factor in mass production body stamping. Tailored, laser welded blanks put the thickness just where it’s needed in a large and complex die, and high-strength steels can be spot welded using conventional equipment. Those tailored blanks, for example, might compete with thicker section single-gauge aluminum blanks, which might be strip or coil fed, lowering costs. Source: www.engineering.com
