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Kobe Steel supplies ultrahigh strength steel sheet and aluminum door beams for the Nissan Lafesta
December 2, 2004
The Lafesta minivan that Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. launched in Japan today uses
Kobe Steel's 980 MPa ultrahigh strength steel sheet and aluminum door beams.
The ultrahigh strength steel sheet, both cold rolled and hot dip, is used
as a structural material in the front pillars, center pillars and sills of the
Lafesta. Owing to its strength, the steel helps protect passengers in
collisions. In addition, each of the four doors contains an aluminum beam,
an extruded shape, that reinforces the door and absorbs impact energy.
Nissan's technology in vehicle development and the adoption of Kobe Steel's
high strength steel and aluminum door beam contribute to a lighter car with
higher gas mileage.
In 1992, Kobe Steel developed an aluminum alloy with a tensile strength of
480 MPa for use in side-impact door beams. Called Z6W, the 7000 series
alloy contains zinc and magnesium. Door beams made of this alloy are noted
for their outstanding ability to absorb collision energy, which led to their
adoption by Nissan.
Outside of Japan, Ohio-based PRO-TEC Coating Company, a 50/50 joint venture
between Kobe Steel and U.S. Steel, is the only American company that produces
980 MPa ultrahigh strength hot dip galvanized steel sheet. Kobe Steel
estimates that the combined market in Japan and the United States for ultrahigh
strength steel sheet is roughly 200,000 to 300,000 tons a year. By 2010,
Kobe Steel anticipates the market will expand to 10 times the current size.
Owing to material's high workability and weldability, Kobe Steel aims
to grow the use of high strength steel.
The Kobe Steel Group is a global enterprise with businesses in metals, machinery, natural resources and engineering, construction machinery, and environmental solutions.
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