AHSS 101: Evolving Use Of Advanced High-Strength Steels For Automotive Applications

DETROIT, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Automotive Applications Council of the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) released "AHSS 101: Evolving Use of Advanced High-strength Steels for Automotive Applications" today. The AHSS 101 document, which explains the different types of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and the benefits of each, is available online at www.autosteel.org.

The introduction of new automotive standards and regulations require engineers to search for and use new materials, and AHSS have evolved to meet these requirements. New grades of AHSS help improve key characteristics, such as safety, emissions and durability, as well as provide automakers with cost-effective solutions in the highly competitive automotive industry. AHSS offer complex steel chemistries and thermo-mechanical processes for improved strength and ductility. New alloying and manufacturing processes have created these strong, lightweight steels to compete with other automotive materials, especially in the categories of fuel efficiency and crash performance.

"As car safety, fuel economy and performance standards increase, so does the need for new and improved steel materials for automotive applications," Ron Krupitzer, vice president of automotive applications for SMDI, said. "The global industry has met this need through the development of new advanced high-strength steel grades, whose unique metallurgical properties and processing capabilities enable the automotive industry to meet requirements while keeping cost down."

According to Krupitzer, the growth of AHSS in the automotive industry will continue. The push toward a more fuel efficient car increases the use and importance of AHSS. The importance of these steels is supported by the fact that automakers and steel producers are joining forces to develop materials that will meet upcoming requirements. In fact, research is currently underway to optimize the properties of these steels, so they can be applied to future vehicles in the most efficient manner.

The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute, grows and maintains the use of steel through strategies that promote cost-effective solutions in the automotive, construction and container markets, as well as for new growth opportunities in emerging steel markets. For more news or information, visit www.autosteel.org.

SMDI investors include:

• AK Steel Corporation
• ArcelorMittal Dofasco
• ArcelorMittal USA LLC
• Nucor Corporation
• Severstal North America Inc.
• ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, LLC
• United States Steel Corporation

SOURCE Steel Market Development Institute