After the successful test phase of the XPF product family last year, Tata Steel has now launched its new hot-rolled steel XPF800. The steel exhibits an unparalleled combination of strength and formability for demanding chassis applications. This gives manufacturers greater scope for design and weight-saving opportunities in the development of components that continue to ensure the necessary rigidity and fatigue resistance in the chassis.
With a tensile strength of 800 MPa, XPF800 is the first steel grade in this product family that is currently available on the market. The XPF650 and XPF1000 grades are currently under development. The hot-rolled steel grade with high strength offers this extraordinarily good formability for the first time. At the same time, the company is working on a hot-dip galvanized range that allows the effective use of thinner steels without running the risk of corrosion. This can be a problem with thin materials.
The formability of XPF800 allows for easier interpretation of complex vehicle components with the same fatigue resistance as exhibited by conventional Complex Phase steels and high strength low alloy HSLA steels. The XPF portfolio makes with respect to the weight of the vehicle, with its nano-precipitation and the single-phase ferritic microstructure for very good product properties in the preparation of parts. These are 15% lighter than comparable components made of advanced steel grades as HR CP800.
The improved stretch crimpability of XPF800 with an average hole expansion capability of 90% allows for geometric changes in construction design, resulting in better stiffness and reduced mass. Compared to HR CP800, the new hot-rolled steel combines the higher stretch crimpability with an improved tensile elongation. These properties reduce the risk of shavings, allowing the use of additional flanges and dimples in design with equal or even better performance of the final product.
All these factors help automobile manufacturers to reduce their total cost of ownership. The formability of XPF800 improves not only the weight reduction potential, but also allows the development of entirely new designs that help with the consolidation components and output quantity of press shop. Compared to CP800 XPF brings less material waste and reduced downtime during production with it.