Innovations

In the reporting quarter, our researchers and developers pursued numerous innovations in the areas of energy and the environment. In many cases, new or improved products and processes were developed on a cross-segment basis and in collaboration with external scientists and customers.

Advanced steel grades reduce fuel consumption

To reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions from road traffic, vehicles must be as light as possible. Advances in materials and surface engineering make a significant contribution to this. For example, hot-stamped (press-hardened) structural components made from high-strength steels offer significant potential for weight reduction while also delivering improved crash performance.

Our Materials Center of Excellence is working hard to develop new steel grades for hot stamping. In addition to higher strength, we are also aiming to improve the energy absorption of hot-stamped parts in the event of a collision. A steel grade with enhanced absorption capacity is already being used in production by one automotive OEM. We have also produced a new high-strength variant with part tensile strengths of up to 1,900 megapascals, which is currently being trialed by a customer.

As hot stamping is carried out at temperatures of around 900°C, steel materials need to be protected against scaling during the process. The DOC® surface engineering center is developing a new coating system which meets the requirements of automotive production processes and at the same time offers corrosion protection which is comparable with current zinc coatings.

Innovative materials for liquid gas pipelines

Given its economic and ecological benefits, natural gas is gaining in importance as a primary energy source. In addition to transportation by pipeline, for longer distances the gas is liquefied and shipped in specially equipped LNG tankers. These tankers are loaded and unloaded via pipelines which are frequently laid on the sea bed. The core of such modern pipeline systems is formed by a longitudinal-welded inner pipe, which in the future can be made from our new iron-nickel alloy Pernifer® 36. Cooling by the liquefied gas, which has a temperature of -162°C, causes only minimal contraction in pipes made from this alloy. To ensure that the welds also satisfy these tough requirements, our materials specialists have developed the filler metal Pernifer® S 36 CrAl which provides the welds with adequate toughness, low thermal expansion and high strength.

Less dust and noise during ship unloading

The environment is also an important factor in the area of materials handling. Unloading bulk cargoes such as coal and ore from ships is a noisy process that also causes high dust emissions. In a joint, cross-segment project our engineers have developed a bucket elevator system which can be used to handle bulk materials for inland waterway transportation. This continuous unloading technique is already used successfully for ocean ships. Compared with conventional, discontinuous methods using grabs, the new systems greatly reduce noise and dust emissions. In addition to lowering environmental impact, the new continuous ship unloader for inland ports is also cost-efficient. The first such system is currently being built for an inland port in Southeast Asia and will shortly start operation.