According to the United States Automotive Materials Partnership, which is leading the team, the sample casts are significant because they signify the scale-up from small, laboratory-sized heats produced on lab equipment to larger-sized heats made on production-like equipment.

One of the alloys is a medium manganese alloy with an ultimate tensile strength of 1,200 megapascals and 37% elongation. The mechanical properties exceeded U.S. Department of Energy goals for a high-strength, exceptional-ductility steel.

The other alloy is a 3% percent manganese steel with an ultimate tensile strength of 1,538 megapascals and 19% elongation. Those properties exceeded the strength target and was close to the ductility target under the Energy Department’s exceptional-strength, high-ductility steel.

Additionally, the team said it is nearing completion on a computational model that predicts how third-generation steels will behave when they are formed into parts or deformed during traffic accidents.

“This year, the project team is validating the (computational model for third-generation steels) through forming trials, working to improve model accuracy, and preparing its final report,” the partnership said.  

“The team expects the delivered models to aid the steel industry in developing (third-generation) alloys that could be used in manufacturing lightweight steel components to meet automotive mass savings, performance and safety requirements.”

The project is being funded in part by a US$6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. ArcelorMittal, Nucor Corp., Brown University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are also supporting the project.

The United States Automotive Materials Partnership has the full announcement here.