The multi-million pound Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre at the University of Glasgow is playing a central role in a €1.9m project to develop new, lightweight steels.

Car manufacturers and scientists believe tiny nanoscale particles are key to developing light-yet strong steels which will reduce the weight of vehicles, and help meet stricter CO2 emissions targets, without compromising on safety.

The role of Glasgow’s researchers in the EU-funded project will be in analysing samples of high-manganese steel containing nanoscale precipitates – tiny particles – of niobium and vanadium carbides.

The inclusion of these tiny precipitates throughout the metal helps strengthen the steel by creating harder points within the structure which make it more difficult to deform.

Dr Ian MacLaren, lecturer in Physics & Astronomy, said: “Steel plays an important part in car manufacturing because it is strong and durable, and yet is ductile – meaning it can be deformed without breaking. This means that in a crash situation, the structure of the car can absorb the force of an impact by crumpling.

“In seeking to reduce the amount of steel used in vehicles, and thus the weight, it is very important to retain both strength and ductility which is where the niobium or vanadium precipitates come in.”

By analysing and characterising the distribution and properties of the nanoparticles within different alloys, the researchers at Glasgow will be able to provide detailed feedback to the producers to help them optimise the production process.

It is hoped that by strengthening the steel in this way car manufacturers could cut down on the amount of steel used within individual parts without reducing the strength or durability of the finished product.

Dr MacLaren added: “There are so many parameters to play with to ensure the right nanostructure and, thus, the best performance, so what we hope to achieve by the end of the project is to be able to provide the necessary data for future high manganese steel alloy design.”

The team at Glasgow – which also includes Professor Alan Craven, Dr Damien McGrouther and a new PhD student – will analyse steel samples with different compositions and heat treated in different ways to establish the best mix.

They will use the state-of-the-art equipment within the Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre, including transmission electron microscopes and a Focused Ion Beam system, to understand the structure and chemistry of such precipitates down to the one-nanometre scale or even below.

The four-and-a-half-year project, which is worth £180,000 to the University, is being conducted in the collaboration with the University of Oulu, Finland; KTH, Sweden; CEIT, Spain; RWTH Aachen, Germany; and two steel producers, Thyssen Krupp Steel and Arcelor Mittal.

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email stuart.forsyth@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 5 November 2010

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