AK Steel Corp., West Chester, Ohio, accepted an award of up to
Specifically, scientists from AK Steel are using neutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to discover how different manufacturing processes affect the performance of the company’s new advanced high-strength steel (AHSS), called Nexmet 1000. Neutrons, unlike electrons or X-rays, are highly penetrating, nondestructive, and sensitive to lighter elements, making them an ideal probe for this novel category of steel materials.
“The Vulcan instrument at the SNS provides information about the crystal structure of AHSS during different stages of the stamping process that we cannot get anywhere else in the United States,” said Wei Wu of AK Steel. “This data will be vital to improving our manufacturing methods and will make it easier to quickly identify the best new materials to blend with Nexmet 1000 to produce lighter, safer, and more durable automotive components.”
The three-year project is being conducted in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Materials Science and Technology Division, and the
The objective of the project is to conduct alloy design, laboratory validation, and testing of low density steels that are alternatives to currently available advanced high strength steels and other lightweight metals. These low density steels are expected to generate energy savings by bringing efficiencies in manufacturing and lifetime savings in automotive structural applications.
