The 2018 North American International Auto Show brought the biggest names in the auto industry together for a show and tell. (Source: News Atlas)

Continuing on what we saw during the past few years, the focus this year again was on improving safety, performance and design, all at the lightest weight possible for fuel economy. While there have been debates in the past about the best lightweight material, there was a clear winner at this year’s NAIAS. Almost every car, including the 2018 Car of the Year, was clad in advanced high-strength steel (AHHS) and significantly lighter than their predecessors.

Take a look at some of this year’s steel-clad cars.

SEE ALSO: 5 Reasons Why AHSS Tops the Market for Lightweight Auto Materials

2018 Car of the Year: Honda Accord

The 2018 Honda Accord took home the prestigious title of Car of the Year due to its lightweight and improved strength and performance. The 2018 model contains 29 percent ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) in its chassis and 54.2 percent high strength steel (HSS). With these applications, the Honda Accord achieved a weight reduction of 110 to 176 pounds while improving its body torsional rigidity by 32 percent and its bending rigidity by 24 percent.

2019 Chevy Silverado

The all-new Chevy Silverado comes armed with plenty of steel. One of the features that contribute to its improved safety is the bed floor made of roll-formed HSS. Also, 80 percent of its fully-boxed steel frame is made of HSS and AHSS forms the Silverado’s safety cage. Overall, the new model is taller and 7 inches wider than before. Nevertheless, the all-new Silverado is 450 pounds lighter with a 10 percent increase in torsional rigidity than the previous model.

2019 Dodge Ram 1500

The 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 is another steel-intensive vehicle revealed at NAIAS. About 98 percent of this year’s model is made from HSS, and is the lightest, longest and most efficient frame in the half-ton truck segment. The wheelbase and crew cab is 4 inches longer than the previous model. The Dodge Ram 1500 also has several new safety features. The unique front-splayed frame rail technology, frame-mounted HSS tire blockers and fully-boxed side rails allow the car to absorb more energy in case of impact and minimize structural damage.

2019 Kia Forte

The 2019 Kia Forte is taller, wider and longer than before with 54 percent of its chassis made of AHSS. It also has a 16 percent stiffer body-in-white and the new seat frames are lighter yet stronger as Kia has its eyes on top ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the second consecutive year. The lighter and stronger vehicle will consume about 9 to 20 percent less fuel as well as drop noise levels by 5 decibels.

Why the Steel Overload?

As mentioned above, the latest cars are steel-intensive and automakers increasing the amount of HSS, UHSS and AHSS in their mix of materials. Of course, the main reason for this is steel’s innate properties that make it the ideal solution for automakers looking to cut back on weight and still satisfy safety standards. However, automakers also learned a good lesson from automakers who chose another popular lightweight material – aluminum.

SEE ALSO: Materials Matter: Why Steel Beats Aluminum in the Sustainability Debate

Back in 2014, Ford released its F-150 with an all-aluminum body. The move was bold and the cars sold fast as it was a whole 700 pounds lighter than previous models. Consumers got to drive away with a drastically improved fuel economy, but it didn’t take long for them to realize the big, expensive problem with aluminum bodies: repairs.

The 2015 Ford F-150 has an all-aluminum body. (Source: Hennessey Performance)

Although steel and aluminum are similar in terms of its lightweight properties, aluminum reacts differently than steel under heat. Aluminum does not have metal memory, while steel does, making it hard to reshape and repair following an accident. Welding aluminum also takes much more skill and precision than steel, and there are few repair shops that are equipped to handle aluminum. As a result, drivers not only have a hard time finding repair shops for their aluminum cars, they have to pay a hefty price for repairs compared to repairs for steel cars. For example, Jalopnik reported one of the first cases of the F-150 repairs back in 2015 cost USD 17,000 and a month-long repair time.

Of course, this was a rare case highlighting the steep learning curve of repairing aluminum vehicles, but it also highlights the fact that steel is still the norm when it comes to automotive materials, and judging from the 2018 NAIAS, it’s going to stay that way for quite some time.

Cover photo courtesy of Honda of Lincoln.

New technologies for forging metal made auto bodies and chassis stronger than ever, and by the 1930s, all-steel bodies were the industry standard. But the way steel really changed the auto industry is because the stamping and welding process was adaptable to mass production. Steel use in the automobile industry created the assembly line we know today.

Steel cars could be made in greater volumes and at lower costs. Steel has answered challenges of anticorrosion, quality and safety.

(1908) The Ford Model T was the most widely produced four-seat car of its time, and was named the most influential car in the international Car of the 20thCentury awards.

(1964) The Ford Mustang is an American classic, and one of the best-selling cars ever. It is one of the most recognized American muscle cars. With the introduction of lighter steel, automobiles began to reach new speed and power.

Advancing the Industry

POSCO’s automotive steel plates are used by many carmakers today. Its Advanced High Strength Steel (AHHS) is lighter in weight, yet stronger, more robust and more durable than other steel. POSCO’s steel technology is contributing to vehicle weight reduction, which has an effect on fuel economy. As materials become lighter, reducing mass, fuel economy is maximized. Cars can travel faster and longer using less fuel, while remaining safe.

Automakers around the world have been using steel for the past 100 years. POSCO has been working with global carmakers like Renault, FIAT, Ford and Toyota, as well as over 200 auto components manufacturing plants such as BOSCH, Delphi and Valeo. With advanced steel technology, POSCO will continue to drive the automobile industry.

POSCO provides leading car makers such as Renault the light weight steel that makes technology of the future possible. Last year, Renault unveiled its EOLAB concept car at the 2014 Paris Motor Show and again at the 2015 Seoul Motor Show.

POSCO has been working with Renault since 2012 to co-develop light vehicle body and automobile chassis solutions, with the goal of being both stylish and environmentally friendly. The technologies featured in the Renault’s EOLAB are expected to be ready by 2020.

The Future of Cars

As the steel industry continues to evolve, new materials are being produced which are expanding the possibilities of the future of automobiles. As steel gets lighter and stronger, it improves safety, durability and fuel economy. Because steel is lightweight, durable, affordable and recyclable, it will continue to play a large role in the auto making industry for years to come.

On Track to Globalization

The track, one of the most fundamental parts of railway infrastructure, has evolved from an ancient design of vehicle guidance, which some say date back to the Sumerian culture of 2000 BCE. Just before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of tracks consisted of horse-drawn wagonways that incorporated wooden rails. In the mid-eighteenth century, iron rails became more widely used, but could only be produced in short lengths, and were brittle, fragile and quickly became uneven under heavy loads, making them quite costly to maintain.

It wasn’t until 1857 that the first durable steel rails were made by British metallurgist and businessman Robert Forester Mushet, who provided the foundation for the development of rail transportation throughout the world. The first of Mushet’s rails were laid at an especially heavily trafficked part of the Derby Midland Railway Station in England, where previous rails had to be renewed at least every six months. Yet, after six years, Mushet’s rails seemed as good as new, despite the fact that over 700 trains had passed over them on a daily basis.

As a stronger material, steel steadily replaced iron for use on railways and allowed considerably longer lengths of rails to be rolled. Today, there are high speed trains that use steel wheels on steel tracks that can travel at ridiculously high speeds. The Shanghai Maglev in China, for example, can transport commuters at a whopping top speed of 430 kilometers per hour (about 267 miles an hour). Furthermore, advancements such as personal rapid transit vehicles such as Suncheon City’s SkyCube developed by POSCO, are changing the concept of rail travel altogether.

Sky-High Steel

Wood was the primary material used for most early airplanes, though there had been an all-metal plane as early as World War I. At this time, the useful load—crew, fuel, and weapons, for example—had to increase significantly, and the speed, altitude ceiling and range had to become much greater for planes to function as military instruments. As such, aircraft designers had to transition from the wood-and-fabric biplane to the all-metal, streamline monoplane.

The Junkers J-1 was the first cantilevered wing all-metal airplane and was developed for low-level, front-line observation and attack. Although heavy, cumbersome and slow to take off, it proved to be efficient and provided effective protection against ground-fire.

Planes have since been constructed from metal, though mostly aluminum, thanks to its light weight and strength. Yet, because steel can be up to four times stronger and three times stiffer, it is still utilized for certain aircraft components such as landing gear, where strength and hardness are especially important. It has also been used for the skin of some high-speed airplanes, because it holds its strength at higher temperatures better than aluminum.

Mind the Ash to Mind the Gap

The world’s first underground train, on the world’s first metro system (now known as the London Underground), traveled three-and-a-half miles from Paddington to Farringdon on January 9, 1863. Another 29 years passed before Chicago became the second city to boast a metro, while New York began operation of its rapid transit system in 1904. Before it went underground, the latter was initially an elevated railway that was served by steam engines that spilled ash and cinder on pedestrians below. Yet, with advancements in steel innovation, electrified trains allowed the operators of the lines to introduce cleaner locomotives.

Metro-building accelerated from the 1960s, in reaction to the growth of increasing urbanization and sprawling mega-metropolises around the world. At that time, train cars that were once built with wood were replaced by stainless steel cars, which saved operators money, as the sturdier, longer-lasting material reduced the overall weight of each car and lowered the amount of electrical power to move them. As it turns out, these same steel cars still provide unintended benefits, as they are helping breathe new life into the world’s oceans.

Now, most rapid transit trains operate on a conventional steel wheel/steel rail system, in which power is commonly delivered by a third rail or by overhead wires. These days, almost 190 cities have metros, with more to come amid a fresh spurt of construction in developing, congested countries.

As technology quickly accelerates and transportation continues to better connect our world, it is certain steel will remain to play a major role in how we get around.

Steel Everywhere! Steel in Our Daily Lives

It is hard not to use recycled steel every day. Can you imagine cutting steak with a plastic knife? We unconsciously use recycled steel, which is often revived in watches, canned food, cars, containers, rollercoasters and more. We use steel in different forms every day and we’re sometimes not even aware we’re using it. Wherever you go, you will find steel! Steel’s recycling qualities are not only unlimited, but the material has a variety of ways it can be reused.

<Click here to find out why steel is called “The ‘Real’ Man of Steel”>

What Can We Do With Recycled Steel?

Steel’s wide range of recyclability allows us to have effective and efficient lives. In some cases, it can also help protect the environment. The story the infographic by worldsteel describes tells us about how recycled steel helps both us and the Earth.

<Click here to download Infographic>

Cars made with recycled steel can be reborn as nine different useful products. Steel recycling does not stop there, as it continues to transform into various products via endless re-recycling. What’s interesting about recycled steel is that it saves our time, lives, and even our planet. Cars made with recycled steel are lighter, cleaner and more efficient. They emit less emissions and save us money at the pump.

Less is More – And For the Better

Steel and automobiles are best friends. It is hard to make cars without steel. Compared to the past, customers now prefer lighter cars because they are lighter, have lower fuel consumption, and are simply more efficient. Even more interesting is that lighter cars are more environmental friendly. Also – and most importantly – as cars become lighter, they reduce fuel consumption and use less steel to reach fuel efficiency standards.

The less steel in cars, the better! As illustrated by the 2014 Paris Motor Show, manufacturers are moving toward economical and practical vehicles with low fuel consumption and close to zero emissions. Part of the new concepts of the cars of tomorrow take account lighter steel plates and the economic cycle of steel.

<Click here to read about “POSCO’s Advanced High Strength Steels In Renault ‘EOLAB’ Concept Car”>

It is rather interesting to see how various ways steel can be used as technology grows and industries develop. It will be even more interesting to see how steel will be incorporated into our lives in the future and even today.