Responding to the Obama Administration's release of aggressive new fuel economy rules this week, Mr Lawrence W Kavanagh president of Steel Market Development Institute, a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute, said that the steel industry, with its newest generation of advanced high strength steels, is committed to providing the leading material solution that will help automakers achieve the latest fuel efficiency, performance and safety standards.
Mr Kavanagh said that "The most recent set of regulations provide aggressive goals that will stretch technology to meet these tough new standards and demand long term commitment from automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. The steel industry has continually invested in new technologies for future generation steels and has developed new advanced steel grades that enable car companies to reduce mass, improve fuel economy, reduce total emissions and continue to provide affordable safe vehicles for the American public for years to come."
The organization's Auto Steel Partnership, a consortium of North American steel companies and automotive manufacturers recently celebrated its 25th year of helping drive steel innovations. In recent years, Auto Steel Partnership projects have been aimed at increasing the number of steel options that contribute to improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, such as its:
Future Generation Passenger Compartment Project that achieved a 15% to 20% mass savings in the vehicle passenger compartment with the extensive use of AHSS, design optimization and manufacturing approaches.
Mass Efficient Architecture for Roof Strength Project that developed a lightweight vehicle roof structure design to meet enhanced government driven roof strength requirements. The use of advanced and ultra high strength steels achieved a 12% mass savings.
Lightweight Front End Structures Analysis that studied the cost and mass effectiveness of practical steel variations in front end automotive structure design. The program exceeded the established targets, providing a 32% mass reduction.
Further, the FutureSteelVehicle program is the most recent addition to the global steel industry's series of lightweighting initiatives offering steel solutions to automakers around the world. The program developed steel body structure designs that reduce mass by more than 35% and total life cycle emissions by nearly 70%, while still meeting a broad list of global crash and durability requirements.
Mr Kavanagh said that "Steel, and particularly the newest advanced high strength steels, will be a leading material solution to help automakers achieve the ambitious new fuel efficiency standards. Advanced high strength steel has become the automotive material that best addresses society's need for reduced lifetime greenhouse gas emissions without compromising safety, performance or affordability."
As further testament to steel's key role in next generation vehicles, earlier this month the Department of Energy announced that the North American steel industry will receive USD 6 million in research funding to continue the development of third generation AHSS, which will make greater mass reduction possible with cost effective steel solutions and save consumers money at the pump.
Beyond mass reduction, steel outperforms other materials in total emissions when a life cycle assessment approach is considered. The steel industry, along with many universities and materials suppliers, remains convinced that life cycle assessment will be a key factor in future total emissions regulations and remains committed to research on this vital technology.
Source - AISI
(www.steelguru.com)
