Material application development for weight reduction of body-in-white

The development of high strength steels and their application has proceeded aiming at weight reduction and better crash performance. This paper summarizes the requirements and studies the issues relevant to the recent development of a 980 MPa Dual Phase grade, which is being applied to the NISSAN TIIDA. The developed grade not only meets the requirements concerning material characteristics and formability, but also has an improved weldablity due to its lower absolute carbon content and lower carbon equivalent as compared to conventional grades. The application of this new grade is expected to expand from thin to thick gauges, including platform parts. (AU)