Steel Division

ahss high-ductility

ahss high ductility stands for advanced high-strength high-ductility steels. These high-strength cold-rolled steels are a further voestalpine development of the classical AHSS steels (dual-phase, complex-phase and TRIP steels with minimum tensile strengths of up to 1200 MPa). Advanced high-strength, high-ductility steels offer properties in a balance never before achieved. 

  • High strength 
  • Best formability 
  • Good weldability 
  • Excellent crash behavior 

Coatings and portfolio. These steel grades are made corrosion-resistant by the application of high-tech metallic coatings used for the automotive industry, including hot-dip galvanized and electrogalvanized. The voestalpine portfolio includes the following: 

  • ahss high-ductility complex-phase steels with unique bending properties and featuring high yield strengths with minimum tensile strengths of 980 and 1180 MPa 
  • ahss high-ductility dual-phase steels with excellent deep-drawing properties and excellent crash behavior with minimum tensile strengths of 780 and 1180 MPa 

Deep-seated success story The excellent properties are achieved based on a modified microstructure design that differs from classical AHSS. The use of an increasing share of bainite in the matrix structure and in some instances the use of stress-relieved martensite is crucial. In order to achieve the unusual properties, it is necessary to implement complex temperature control and a corresponding alloy design in order to suppress precipitation of iron carbides during bainite formation as well as during stress relief of the martensite.


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Steel strips

Electrogalvanized steel strip

Electrogalvanized steel strip

Electrogalvanized steel strip made by voestalpine offers highest corrosion protection, best surface quality and excellent processing possibilities.

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Electrogalvanized steel strip

With its excellent properties, electrogalvanized (EG) steel strip is a premium product of voestalpine. The strengths and properties of electrogalvanized steel strip are suited to a wide variety of applications, even beyond the automotive segment. The material exhibits exceptional strengths in terms of strength, coating quality, functionality, formability and joinability.

Highest strength

The many available ahss high-ductility grades reach strengths of up to 1180 MPa. Ultra-high-strength grades with improved formability are available from 980 MPa. In spite of these high strengths, electrogalvanized steel strip is also ideally suited for exposed panels.


Typical applications

  • Rocker panels
  • Tunnels
  • A and B pillars

Best surface and coating quality

The most prominent advantage of electrogalvanized steel strip made by voestalpine is the uniform quality of the surfaces and coatings. Its characteristic properties are ideal for further processing.

  • Minimum zinc layer thicknesses possible
  • One-sided galvanization possible
  • Improved adhesiveness as compared to HDG/Z
  • Especially suitable for new coating strategies as a result of improved coatability
  • Improved adhesive bondability

Extended functionality

The basic material offers many functional advantages, and other properties can be added.

  • Inline phosphating (ZE+P)
  • Temporary corrosion protection
  • Minimized wear
  • Direct coating

Advantages of inline passivation (ZE+C)

  • Improved resistance to transport and warehouse corrosion
  • Good overcoatability
  • Free of Cr IV

Excellent formability

The special forming quality of the material withstands extreme deep-drawing stress. Additionally, the adhesive tendency of electrogalvanized steel strip is significantly lower than that of comparable materials.


Typical applications

  • Large exposed panels in car body design
  • Oil-filter cartridges

Excellent joinability

Thanks to its excellent spot welding and laser brazing properties, electrogalvanized steel strip is ideally suited for joining and leads to significantly lower electrode wear than conventional steel grades.

Typical applications

  • Back hatches
  • Roof and roof attachments
  • Side wall frames

Applications

Electrogalvanized steel strip is versatile and finds its application in a number of different industries. Reflectors for headlights, interior design, room partitions, exposed cable ducts, railings, light reflectors, doors, gates, frames, filter cartridges, oil filters, directly coated components such as radiator covers, claddings and structural members. All one-side-galvanized (joined) components that provide benefits to customers, such as auto roofs, tubes and sections. Exposed panels on white goods such as washing machines, refrigerators and switch cabinets.

 

 

Zusatzbehandlungen - Übersichtsbild

Additional treatments

Electrogalvanized steel strip can be given a variety of surface treatments that further optimize the material.

Surface quality

  • Delivered with one of two surface types: A (formerly O3) or B (formerly O5). 
  • DIN EN 10152 illustrates the quality limits of various surfaces.
  • Same internal sorting standard as for cold-rolled steel strip

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Hot-dip galvanized steel strip

Hot-dip galvanized steel strip

Hot-dip galvanized steel made by voestalpine is characterized by high corrosion resistance, excellent working properties and a wide spectrum of applications.

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Hot-dip galvanized steel strip

An excellent all-rounder

Hot-dip galvanized steel made by voestalpine is characterized by high corrosion resistance, high-quality appearance, excellent working properties and a wide spectrum of applications. The portfolio of steel grades ranges from super deep-drawing grades to grades with highest strengths (advanced high-strength steels). Depending on customer requirements, voestalpine supplies a comprehensive range of available widths and thicknesses with tailor-made metallic coatings. A variety of surface finishing treatments also make it possible to extend the range of applications. voestalpine supplies high-strength steels with unique exposed-panel quality and offers a ZF coating for this purpose. The world's only hot-dip galvanized press-hardening steels made by voestalpine round off the extensive portfolio.

Materials for cold forming

Some steel grades are available as galvanized hot-rolled strip:

  • Hot-rolled low-alloyed or microalloyed steels
  • Hot-rolled ferritic-bainitic steels
  • Hot-rolled complex-phase steels

Materials for hot forming

Press-hardening steels for hot forming are available in various strengths and are coated with zinc or zinc-iron. Best crash behavior, high dimensional accuracy and very good joining properties are the hallmarks of components made of these materials.

Metallic coatings

  • Zinc (Z) for applications subject to average corrosion (galvanized)
  • Zinc-iron (ZF) for corrosion protection with highest weldability requirements (galvannealed)
  • Zinc-magnesium (ZM) for best cathodic corrosion protection (corrender)

Metallic coatings Z and ZM are available with normal (N) and small spangles (M). The surface of zinc-iron coating is spangle-free. Upon customer request, voestalpine supplies different zinc coatings per side (differential galvanizing).

corrender is the high-performance zinc-magnesium-aluminum coating made by voestalpine.

This surface treatment provides excellent corrosion protection and processability, offering a high-performance alternative to conventional protective coatings for hot-dip galvanized steel strip. Corrender has been supplied in series since 2007, and voestalpine has established comprehensive product know-how and expertise in this area.

Coating
Thickness/mm
Width max./mm
Coating
Z and GI0.45 – 4.001730Z70 - Z600
ZF and GA0.45 – 2.301730ZF70 - ZF140
ZM (corrender)0.45 – 2.301730ZM90 - ZM200

"At the Linz site, we manufacture a very extensive product mix in five different hot-dip galvanizing lines. We apply zinc coatings in various surface qualities on mild to high-strength steel grades. Our team of specialists meets the challenge with a high level of commitment and quality awareness every single day. We set the standards with additional chromium-free and environmentally friendly treatments such as clearcover® or multiface®.

Maximilian Kaiser, Main Process Manager, Hot-dip Galvanizing

Surface quality

  • As-coated surface (A)
  • Improved surface (unexposed and B)
  • Best surface (exposed or C) for special requirements such as exposed panels (IF steels) in the automotive industry for additional benefits:
  • Minimum waviness
  • High contour sharpness in reflections
  • Also for ZM (corrender coatings)
  • Optimum forming properties
  • Efficient painting
Design for Z and ZM
Mean roughness value Ra [µm]
Standard0.6 – 1.9
Roughness: especially smooth0.5 max.
Roughness: smooth0.9 max.
Special option: half matt0.7 – 1.3
Special option: matt1.3 – 1.9

Numerous additional treatments

Subsequent surface treatment additionally improves the existing product properties in comparison to the high-quality base material and provides solutions to special applications:

  • Anti-fingerprint (multiface®) for the household appliance and construction industries
  • Chemical passivation and/or corrosion protection oils protect against white rust formation and are free of chromium. (clearcover®)
  • Forming aids such as a phosphating or passivation layer (dryform®)
  • Optimized tribology and excellent oil distribution (prelube2)
Zusatzbehandlungen - Übersichtsbild

Further processing

Hot-dip galvanized steel strips available in a wide range of widths and lengths:

  • Wide strip
  • Slit strip (slit)
  • Cut-to-length sheets
  • Blanks

Supply pursuant to EN 10346 and VDA 239100 Deviations upon agreement.


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Cold-rolled steel strip

Cold-rolled steel strip

Cold-rolled steel strip made by voestalpine combines best surface appearance and narrowest thickness tolerances for a wide range of applications.

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Cold-rolled steel strip

Outstanding surface quality, excellent cold formability and high uniformity of mechanical properties are characteristic of this material.

Portfolio

The comprehensive steel grade program makes cold-rolled steel strip a genuine all-rounder. These materials are used in applications ranging from simple sections to complex deep-drawn parts. Cold-rolled steel strip is used in the household appliance industry in washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, refrigerators, ranges and hot water tanks. Cold-rolled steels are also used in the radiator industry, the automotive industry (car body parts with low corrosion stress), the packaging industry and the tube and section industry.

Steel grades

Cold-rolled steel strip

  • Excellent surface quality 
  • Excellent cold formability 
  • Highly uniform mechanical properties 
  • Narrow thickness tolerances thanks to modern production systems

Cold-rolled enamelable steels

Development continues unabated in this area, and high-performance cold-rolled steels made by voestalpine have become an alternative to OC annealed steels used in numerous applications in the household appliance and sanitation industries.


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