High Strength Steel: Basics and Uses in Automotive Industry

1. What is High Strength Steel?

High-strength steel generally refers to a type of steel that contains different alloying elements such as chromium, manganese, silicon, molybdenum, nickel, and vanadium to improve its hardness, wear-resistance and tensile strength.

In the equation, high-strength steel is the maximum stress that a material can withstand when it is stretched or pulled before it breaks. In ductile materials, the ultimate tensile strength may be higher, while in brittle materials, the ultimate tensile strength is close to the yield point. 

In addition, high-strength steel is also known for its resistance to atmospheric corrosion, where materials degrade by exposure to pollutants in the air.

2. High Strength Steel in the Automotive Industry

For most vehicles, 60% of the total weight comes from steel parts. High-strength steel plays a vital role in reducing body weight, enabling automotive engineers to design automotive parts that are both strong and lightweight, while maintaining the other advantages of steel to improve passenger safety and vehicle performance.

Therefore, the demand for high-strength steel has increased substantially in recent years and has become the top priority of today's automotive industry.

Compared with low-carbon steel, high-strength steel is favored due to higher tensile strength, making it widely suitable for many applications requiring strength and durability-from airplanes to trains, buses to trucks, and even some tallest skyscrapers in the world！