New Bainitic Steels for High Strength Components for Automotive Parts

The production of high strength components by cold heading, cold forging or hot forging without final heat treatment has been made possible by the development of micro-alloyed steels. Among the different types of steel available for this purpose, the low carbon bainitic grades appear the most promising for the production of parts where both high strength and ductility are required when the conditions for use are considered. In order to extend the range or size of parts having bainitic structures capable of being produced, new low carbon grades of micro-alloyed steel have been developed with niobium. This family of grades is called FREEFORM ™.