XPF: Tata Steel announces new, breakthrough family of hot rolled steels for chassis applications
Tata Steel at EuroBLECH (21st -25th of October): Hall 17, Stand G38
21 October 2014
Following successful trials the XPF product range – a new family of hot rolled steels offering an unprecedented mix of strength and formability – will be available soon. The new range will be the first in Europe to provide superior manufacturing characteristics in forming, joining and property homogeneity, in addition to the fatigue resistance and processing consistency that manufacturers require. By using this product automotive manufacturers will be able to reduce vehicle mass without sacrificing safety, performance or manufacturing robustness, while at the same time optimising total cost of ownership (TCO).
Reducing the weight of new cars in order to achieve better fuel economy is a major focus for automotive manufacturers worldwide. Historically manufacturers have focused on the body-in-white components of the vehicle, but this work has now been extended to the chassis system. Engineers are looking to achieve a reduction in both the number of parts used and the parts’ weight across multiple component assemblies, while at the same time ensuring they are capable of meeting stringent safety and environmental requirements. To meet these goals, engineers need new materials which feature high specific strength and fatigue resistance, together with the manufacturability that enables them to innovate.
XPF is a major breakthrough in automotive structural material technology for chassis applications. XPF’s superior product characteristics will allow manufacturers to create parts that can be more than ten per cent lighter than parts produced with equivalent advanced steel grades. At the same time, this combination of improved material properties enables parts consolidation – the process of reducing the number of parts used. One example is a chassis lower control arm whereby two “clam shell” welded stampings can be replaced with one single deep-section component, resulting in the potential to reduce processing costs by up to 50 per cent.
Ashley Wilkinson, Tata Steel’s European Sales Director for Automotive, said: “The new XPF steel family is a strong example of Tata Steel’s range of advanced products that enable automotive manufacturers to find their preferred balance between performance, weight and cost. As already proven in body-in-white with products like MagiZinc® and HyperForm® and in seating with dual-phase steels ranging up to 1000MPa, Tata Steel has the expertise to offer the lowest total cost of ownership in the chassis area.”
The XPF family features a single-phase ferritic structure with high-precipitation strengthening. This produces characteristics of high strength and yield ratio, superior elongation and fatigue resistance, and good weldability, combined with the consistency expected of conventional high-strength low-alloy grades. XPF650 and XPF800 – the numbers denoting the relative tensile strengths of the two materials – are due to be commercially launched in 2015, with XPF1000 planned to follow. Tata Steel will be the first-to-market in Europe with a hot rolled product offering high strength combined with exceptional formability characteristics.
Chris Wooffindin, product marketing manager for automotive chassis and suspension, said: “The new XPF family of steels promises a major breakthrough in automotive structural materials technology. It addresses the known challenges of current high-strength steels in terms of forming and manufacturing, by combining the mechanical strength and fatigue resistance that designers require, with a formability that provides even greater freedom to reduce both parts count and cost as well as vehicle weight. We have now successfully trialled both XPF650 and XPF800 within our manufacturing facility and are currently confirming that these products fullfill the needs and expectations of our customers.
“The XPF family is a further demonstration of Tata Steel’s focus on providing advanced products for all vehicle applications that enable designers to be innovative in creating the next generation of vehicles with their preferred balance between performance, weight and cost, or optimal TCO .”
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Image and caption:
With the new XPF family of steels, Tata Steel is now fully equipped to offer the lowest Total Cost of Ownership for chassis engineering and production.
Further information:
Chris Woofindin, Tata Steel, on E: chris.wooffindin@tatasteel.com
Caroline Holmes, Automotive PR, on T +44 (0) 20 7952 1072, or E: cholmes@automotivepr.com
Ingo Trenkner, pr people, on T +49 (0)208 299933-13, or E: i.trenkner@pr-people.de
About Tata Steel’s European operations
Tata Steel is Europe's second largest steel producer, with steelmaking in the UK and Netherlands, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies products and services to the most demanding markets, including construction, automotive, packaging, rail, lifting & excavating, energy & power and aerospace. The combined Tata Steel group is one of the world’s largest steel producers, with a steel capacity of 29 million tonnes and 80,000 employees across four continents.
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