Different types of hot rolled steel used in the automotive industry

are considered for The modern automotive industry has evolved massively over the past couple of decades, and while just over a century old, the developments, especially on the material side of things that we have witnessed, are truly a thing to behold. Steel mills in India have led this charge, and as regulations stay dynamic, being at the forefront of metallurgical developments is essential.

Now, you might assume that it is just one type of steel that is used to construct cars, at least the bodies and components, but do you know that there are several different types of steel that are deployed for this process? Not that long ago, mild steel used to be the norm for the construction of vehicles, but with tightening norms around vehicular safety, emissions, and fuel efficiency requirements, hardened steel has established its presence. Most auto components start their journeys at steel mills in India as hot rolled steel, with different grades and compositions.

In this blog, we will be taking a look at the different types of hot rolled coil steel that are taken into use, and the exact parts that they are used to construct, followed by a brief consideration as to why they are picked over the others. So, let’s get started.

Automotive brackets– Cold forming and deep drawing hot rolled steel is used for the construction of the aforementioned parts, with the grades for the same being EN 10111DD11- DD14, IS 1079 HR0-HR4, ISH270C-ISH270E, JIS G 3131 SPHC/SPHD/SPHE, and ASTM A 1011 CS Type B. The advantage of these types of steel lies in the fact that they have maximum yield and tensile strength while featuring the least elongation as well.

Precision tubes for automotive applications-MC/HC steel is used in the construction of precision tubes that are used in the construction of precision tubes that are commonly used in automotive applications. The grades that this application are SAE J403 – SAE_1012 to 1080. These grades of steel offer extremely balanced properties.

Steel wheels, Rims, Chassis, Long members, cross members, and other components–For the mentioned products, HSLA steel is commonly used. Expanded as High Strength Low Alloy Steel, they can be sourced in a wide variety of grades from steel mills in India. Relevant grades can include everything from JIS G 3113 SAPH310/370/400/440 to IS 5986 ISH320LA – ISH750LA, and so much more. The advantages of HSLA hot rolled coil steel lie in the fact that it features better strength and toughness when compared to carbon steel while being significantly better in formability and weldability as well.

Control Arms, Rear twist beams, trailing arms-Stretch Flangeable Steel of grades EN 10338_FB450 to FB590 / FB590 HHE IS 5986 ISH590F are commonly used in the manufacturing of control arms and other aforementioned components. These types of steel retain a certain degree of flangeability without facing cracking under pressure.

Steel wheel discs-Dual-phase steel of EN 10338_ DP600 and IS 5986 ISH590Y are commonly used to construct the wheel discs that are normally used with steel wheels. Compared to alloy wheels, these do have their own advantages as well, with their composition ensuring high strength, something that makes these wheels quite robust.

Door impact beams-A critical safety component of any automobile, door impact, or crash impact beams for that matter, are constructed out of boron steel. The improvement in strength it offers is something that makes this type of steel desirable in such roles, and the primary grades that are commonly used are EN 10083_28MnB5, 34MnB5,  20MnB5, 22MNB5, 26MnB5

In conclusion

These are some of the common applications of steel in the automotive industry, the grades that are commonly preferred, and the advantages that they bring to the table. There’s a wide variety of materials that go into constructing every car that you witness on the roads, but as far as hot rolled steel goes, these are some general statistics that can be considered. Nowadays, steel mills in India are developing advanced metallurgical offerings to future-proof the Indian automotive landscape, and it can be strongly expected that the properties are going to become that much more interesting in the coming years.