In an article in Green Steel World last summer, it was reported that a world-renowned automobile brand manufacturer will work with its steelmaking partner to ensure more low-carbon steel will be used in its vehicles for China’s automotive industry. The partners will “jointly build the supply chain of green low carbon steel materials, develop low-carbon and green automotive steel materials and complete relevant certification based on the research and development and use of green and low carbon steel materials….” The production base will gradually use the low-carbon automotive steel for its mass-produced models starting in 2023.
According to representatives quoted in the article, these low carbon steels produce 10 to 30 percent less Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2) than conventional steels and will help reduce carbon footprint and tackle global climate change. “From 2026 … the production base will start to use low carbon steels in the mass production process of whole vehicles. Based on processes such as green electricity and electric furnaces, the production of low carbon steels will gradually reduce CO2 emissions by 95 percent.”
There are numerous versions of carbon steel and other alloys. These various steels are made for specific purposes, including vehicle bodies. Knowing the elemental values of steel, including its carbon content, can be essential before using it or putting it in production. The element Carbon can affect the material’s weldability, brittleness, malleability, and compatibility. Low-carbon steel has a carbon content less than 0.25 wt.% and is probably the most widely used. Medium-carbon steel has a carbon content from 0.25 – 0.60 wt.% and manganese content from 0.60-1.65 wt.%. High-carbon steel has a carbon content from 0.60 – 1.25 wt.% and manganese content from 0.30 – 0.90 wt.%.
You can read more about the importance of the ‘carbon recipe’ in this article: How Carbon Affects the Quality of Steel Weldability and Hardness.
Ensuring the carbon steel is made to customer specifications will be one of the challenges for the steelmaker. Manufacturing of steel involves taking raw materials and melting them down and then mixing them into a specific kind of steel — whether it be one of the many carbon steels or other alloy steels such as Stainless, Inconel, Chromes, Aluminum, etc. In both cases, knowing the value of Carbon and other elements is critical to ensure the material’s application will meet the kinds of characteristics needed.
There are instruments available to help ensure the carbon value and other elemental values of concern before using steels in their different applications. A LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) instrument is a portable handheld device that can give extremely accurate results within minutes. Handheld LIBS analyzers work by using a high-focused laser to ablate the surface of a sample. A plasma is formed consisting of electronically excited atoms and ions. As these atoms decay back into their ground states, they emit characteristic wavelengths of light, or “unique fingerprints”. These “fingerprints” are distinct for each element, making handheld LIBS analysis an excellent tool for quantitative and qualitative measurements. There is no need to cut a sample and send it to a lab and wait for hours or days for the result. With a little preparation, the answer is received within minutes.
The verification of steel alloys for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) has never been more important for product reliability and safety. From metal production through final product assembly, the potential for material mix-ups is real. With all types of manufacturing operations facing increasingly stringent safety regulations, today’s best practices include testing 100% of critical materials, including carbon.
Additional Resources:
- Online webinar recording: Why is Analyzing Carbon Important?
Leave a Reply