Development of New Microalloy Steel Grades for Lightweight Suspension Systems

This paper describes some of the recent developments that have been made by ArvinMeritor and Stelco Inc. to address the need for lighter weight suspension components by North American vehicle manufacturers. The move towards lighter weight suspension components is being driven primarily by the mandate to reduce the overall mass of the vehicle in order to improve fuel efficiency. Also the “packaging envelope” into which the spring components must fit is getting smaller due to improved aerodynamic styling of vehicles. As a result of this continuing pursuit for mass reduction, product engineers have had to incorporate higher operating stresses in the design of suspension springs in order to achieve the specified functional and durability requirements.