JFE Steel to Market 1,180MPa High Tensile Flat Steel Items

JFE Steel announced on Thursday the firm started mass production of new high tensile cold rolled steel product with 1,180 mega pascal of strength and higher workability, which the firm developed last year, after the firm got order for rear door impact beam of Mazda Motor’s compact car, Demio. The firm also announced the firm developed high tensile hot rolled steel with 1,180 MPa of strength for the first time in the world. The firm tries to expand the automotive steel sales through the development effort through the strategic technology base of Customers’ Solution Laboratory (CSL). Carmakers use high tensile steel products with 1,180 MPa of strength for bumper and reinforcing materials usually. Such high tensile steel has problems including better drawing workability to be used as structural parts. Some carmakers use the high tensile steel for structural parts by heat treatment after forming or by hot press forming. JFE Steel succeeded to make the high tensile cold rolled steel with better press workability and same ductility as traditional 980 MPa high tensile steel through metal constitution control by water quenching process, which is original continuous annealing method. The firm launched the marketing last year and got order from Mazda. Demio’s door impact beam, which is made by drawing the high tensile cold rolled steel, has same shock absorption performance as hot pressed beam due to hardening process during press forming and paint baking. The product has better press forming productivity, delayed fracture resistance performance and weldability. The press forming beam with flange uses 1,180 MPa high tensile cold rolled steel for the first time in the world. JFE Steel developed the beam with Mazda and parts maker. JFE Steel produces the cold rolled high tensile steel at Fukuyama of West Japan works and expands the sales to annual 20,000 tonnes in 2012 under growing demand for automobile. The firm also developed 1,180 MPa high tensile hot rolled steel by the technology to allocate nanometer sized precipitated phase without concentration as the firm developed 780 MPa high tensile steel. The firm tries to meet higher quality demand from automakers and auto parts makers by the development. The firm keeps development to produce the item in mass production operation and markets the item as material for center pillar or other major structural parts.