MZDAF - Mazda Develops World's First Cold-Stamped Parts Using 1310 MPa-Class High-Strength Steel
To be applied across the lineup starting from the all-new Mazda3
HIROSHIMA, Japan, Jan 10, 2019 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation, working separately with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and JFE Steel Corporation, has developed the world's first cold-stamped vehicle body parts made from 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel.(1) The parts are used in Mazda's new-generation Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture, which will underpin upcoming models starting from the all-new Mazda3.
High-strength steel enables automakers to make parts from thinner sheet metal while retaining the necessary yield strength. This results in a lighter vehicle body, which contributes to improved handling stability and fuel economy. A strong body is also essential to ensure crash safety performance, and the application of higher-strength steel has been widely anticipated.
Until now, cold-stamping of vehicle body structural members has only been possible with 1,180 MPa or lower-classed steel, due to the material's formability and the difficulty of ensuring dimensional accuracy after processing. Working in collaboration with the above-mentioned companies, however, Mazda has found an appropriate set of processing conditions that make the process possible with 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel.
The all-new Mazda3 uses 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel for the front pillar inner, the roof rail inner, the hinge pillar reinforcement, the roof rail reinforcement, the No. 2 crossmember and the side sill inner reinforcement, saving about 3 kilograms over the same parts in the previous model.
Mazda is working to make cars that help preserve the beauty of the earth and enrich individual lives and society as a whole by offering driving pleasure, the fundamental appeal of the automobile. Through the car-ownership experience, the company aims to become an irreplaceable presence in customers' lives and a brand with which they feel a special bond.
(1) According to Mazda's in-house research
About Mazda
Mazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.com
Source: Mazda
Contact:
Corporate Communications Division Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan +81-3-3508-5056 [Tokyo] +81-82-282-5253 [Hiroshima] mailto: media@mazda.co.jp
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