A high-tech solution for the automotive industry developed by Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works and the I.P. Bardin Central Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy has been awarded a gold medal at the 27th Metal-Expo 2021 International Industrial Exhibition.

The Metal-Expo committee annually awards the best enterprises and organisations with diplomas as well as gold and silver medals to encourage and promote Russian production and research teams who have developed and implemented state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, and mastered production of new types of high-quality metal products.

This year, MMK and the I.P. Bardin Central Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy were awarded gold and silver medals. The I.P. Bardin Central Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy was awarded the exhibition’s gold medal for the joint “development of cluster technology for the production of high-strength cold-rolled and hot-dip galvanized sheets of different types and categories of strength with improved plasticity, stampability and other technological and service properties from steel of the same chemical composition”.

High-strength low-alloy (micro-alloy) rolled steel and dual-phase steels are actively used in the global and domestic automotive industry. Usually, each strength class uses steel of a certain chemical composition, and the transition to a higher strength class is made by increasing the content of manganese and niobium. The lack of technologies for producing cold-rolled steel of different strength categories from high-strength automotive sheet steels of the same chemical composition makes it difficult to fulfil small orders.

In addition, automobile manufacturers are interested in increasing the plasticity of manufactured rolled products, as well as the stability of the strength properties within the same strength class.

The technical result of the development was to ensure an increase in plasticity, as well as to expand the technological capabilities of the production method of cold-rolled steel of increased strength by obtaining the same chemical composition of rolled products of different strength classes of steel.

The developed and implemented cold-rolling technology for three grades of micro-alloyed and four grades of dual-phase steels means different types of steel and different strength classes with the same chemical composition can be obtained by varying the tension of the strip in the unit. This makes it possible for the manufacturer to satisfy small orders.

Working with the automotive industry is one of the priority areas of MMK's production and sales activities. The Company is consistently implementing the strategic initiative "Supplier No. 1 for the most demanding customers of the automotive industry in the domestic market", that's why it has been developing the production of automotive plates for many years, providing a quality alternative to imports.