LIGHTWEIGHTING
We are offering a material that can
really last forever in terms of material
supply, as stainless steel is 100% recyclable
The sustainable luxury car of the future concept
provide added durability and corrosion resistance,” says Stefan Lindner, technical sales manager mobility and transport at Outokumpu. “We are offering a material that can really last forever in terms of material supply, as stainless steel is 100% recyclable, but also in terms of significantly extending component and overall vehicle lifetime.”
LIGHTENING UP Although stainless steel is denser than aluminium, its adjustable strength allows for thinner components, which can offset the weight difference. Outokumpu has developed a new generation of nickel-free austenitic manganese- chromium materials for structural vehicle components, with a particular focus on crash-relevant and safety- critical parts. The company’s Forta H-Series – available as Forta H500, Forta H800 and Forta H1000 – offers a yield strength Rp0.2 ≥ 1000 MPa in combination with high elongations at fracture in order to open up new opportunities in lightweight engineering and design with steel. The Forta H-Series’ unique alloy
system, microstructure and hardening characteristics combination gives the material great potential for lightweight engineering. When combined with special manufacturing processes like hydroforming or roll-forming, the stainless steel grades enable new designs for lightweight parts. Where mild steels are still used, weight savings of as much as 40% are
possible, while functional integration helps to reduce the number of parts within a component or vehicle. Safety improvements go hand
in hand with the Forta H-Series’ lightweighting benefits, as material thickness can be reduced while crash performance is improved. The stainless steel’s hardening properties means it can absorb the impact energy without failing and transmit this energy to surrounding parts, even in welded areas. Cost-efficient industrial
processes are critical to component manufacturing, with high processability an essential factor. Outokumpu’s Forta H-Series is notable for its excellent processing characteristics and reproducibility, enabling it to fulfil the very highest quality standards.
SUSTAINABILITY AT THE FOREFRONT As well as the sustainability advantages delivered to vehicles by lightweight stainless steel component design, it’s important to ensure the material’s supply chain is ticking the green credential box, too, Lindner says. “We want to create real change in
terms of sustainability,” he explains. “We consider our own scope one and two emissions – the direct emissions from our facilities, indirect emissions from the purchase of electricity, mining, transportation and distribution – alongside the scope three emissions of our total supply chain. It’s really important that we as a material
manufacturer start the process of collecting that data to inform and improve our operations, considering raw materials, manufacturing processes, joining processes and corrosion protection. We have already integrated a circular economy for our stainless steel Circle Green, achieving our highest recycled material content ever of 95% in 2023 and reducing 12 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.” As part of its sustainability mission,
Outokumpu has unveiled its concept for the sustainable luxury car of the future, an innovative platform for automotive suppliers. The concept car will be made out of more than 95% recycled stainless steel, combining sustainability with high-strength and crash-safe materials. With a chassis constructed from folded stainless steel, an extremely lightweight construction would become possible via an easy and cost-efficient manufacturing method. The concept is naturally electric, with batteries integrated into a stainless steel platform. Stainless steel materials would also be used in the vehicle’s other drive technology, such as the bi- polar plates of fuel cell systems or the bio-fuel drives like tanks and engines. Overall, the concept is presented as a holistic approach to vehicle safety and sustainability. Whether we will actually see one in the flesh – or steel – in the future though, remains to be seen…
For more information visit:
www.outokumpu.com
www.engineerlive.com 27
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