D-pillar enhancement

Steels are increasingly utilized in new vehicle generations, which require both high strength and good formability. Dual-phase steels meet this objective particularly well. The additionally enhanced grades HCT600XDxpand^® and HCT980XDxpand^® from Salzgitter Flachstahl have now taken developments further by adding the outstanding property of hole expansion to the basic properties. This modern, latest-generation material enables the production of very complex component geometries.

This is especially relevant as the material, including the edges, offers high forming capacities. This results from the markedly increased hole expansion capacity compared to conventional dual-phase steels. Thanks to a component-appropriate design and a reduction of the material thickness, this new generation of materials makes considerable contributions to lightweight automotive engineering and construction.