The International Stainless Steel Forum will facilitate the first technical session devoted entirely to automotive applications for stainless steel at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress, 8â11 March 2004. The session, âStainless Steels: The New Light Weight Option,â? will comprise 10 papers that describe advances in stainless steel related to light-weight structural and crash-safety components, engine gaskets, material models for finite element simulations, corrosion testing and welding. The convening of this session coincides with a growing interest by auto manufacturers in stainless steel to help them economically reduce weight and improve performance of their vehicles. Staffan Malm, secretary general of International Stainless Steel Forum, predicts that use of stainless steel in cars could double over the next several years, from about 25 kg per car currently to as much as 50 kg. Current use of stainless steel is mainly in exhaust systems, following its introduction in such applications in the 1970s. For crash-sensitive and structural parts, stainless steelâs high strength, good formability and crash-energy absorption capability enable mass reduction through use of thinner material. Examples of stainless steel components under development or consideration by vehicle makers include fuel tanks, tailgates, engine cradles, side intrusion beams, bumper beams, skid plates, crash-sensitive structural members, cylinder head gaskets, and wheels and wheel covers.
