New steel alloy could lead to lighter-weight cars
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028618
Nature : Steel, an alloy of mostly iron and carbon, has long been the main material for car bodies. With the push to improve fuel efficiency, however, auto manufacturers would like to find a lighter material that would be just as strong and easy to work. Now Sang-Heon Kim and colleagues at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea say they have developed an improved alloy by introducing nickel to a high-aluminum, low-density steel. The nickel causes nanometer-sized particles of B2, a steel structure known for its hardness, to form and disperse throughout a more ductile form of steel called austenite. The combination is ultrastrong, lightweight, and highly pliable. The researchers hope to see their new alloy put to the test at one of the world’s largest steel manufacturers, POSCO, in South Korea.
