Of crystals and crashes

The microcrystalline structure and performance behavior of multiphase automotive steels are enabling stronger and safer vehicles.

Since Nader's Raiders, the U.S. EPA, and the Arab oil embargo converged on the automotive industry about four decades ago, vehicle engineers have been saddled with a set of challenges that appear to fly in the face of the basic laws of physics: to build ever lighter vehicles that keep passengers increasingly safe during collisions.

Ron Krupitzer, Vice President for Automotive Applications at the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), commented on the formidability of the problem: “Quite frankly, the challenges associated with building vehicles that are both crashworthy and low-mass are daunting. The automotive industry is calling on every materials industry to see how efficient we can be.”