Assessment of Advanced High Strength Steels used in Auto Industry - A Review

Abstract

Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) are steels considered to be the major materials for future applications in automotive production and other sectors of the economy. In this article, assessment of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) used in automotive industry was discussed, including the steel compositions, microstructure and mechanical properties developed during thermal processing, advantages and disadvantages, their potential applications and performance in service. Various strengthening mechanisms are employed to achieve a range of strength, ductility, toughness, and fatigue properties of these materials. As opposed to the cold formable single phase deep-drawable grades, the mechanical properties of AHSS steels are controlled by many factors, including the following; phase composition and distribution in the overall microstructure, volume fraction, size and morphology of phase constituents, as well as stability of metastable constituents were discussed. Finally, a brief summary of these important steels was highlighted.