Niobium bearing steels in the automotive industry

This paper reviews the applications of niobium bearing steels for the automotive and heavy transport industries and assess the challenges that face the steelmaker particularly with respect to the on going use of niobium in the future when there is little doubt that a larger volume of even higher strength steels will be required. Consideration is given to the application of niobium bearing ultra-low carbon, interstitial-free (ULC IF) steels, and niobium as an addition in micro-alloyed and advanced high strength steels. The future challenge facing the steel/auto partnership is reviewed relating to the introduction of advanced steel products, especially modern high-strength steels with improved properties such as the new multiphase steels, which will gain more and more importance in the future. In the case of these new steels, the role of microalloying elements such as niobium is discussed, from which it is considered to play an important role in future steel developments. (AU)