Because of the high weight of their batteries, electric cars are often several hundred kilograms heavier than cars with combustion engines. These “heavyweights” place higher demands on the chassis. High-quality vehicle suspension springs made from Saarstahl wire rod improve driving safety and have already convinced several well-known OEMs.
Here to discuss this: Martin Graus, Head of Quality Assurance at the Saarstahl plant in Neunkirchen
Mr. Graus, why are thicker vehicle suspension springs so important for e-mobility?
Martin Graus: Significantly higher vehicle weights, shifted centers of gravity and, among other things, smaller spaces for installation require a completely new suspension spring design for battery electric vehicles (BEV) when compared to vehicles with a combustion engine. To ensure optimum driving characteristics under these conditions, the vehicle suspension springs for battery electric vehicles (BEV) have to be made from thicker wires and designed for higher tensions.
What makes Saarstahl products special for the customer?
Martin Graus: Our wire rods in thicker dimensions also completely fulfill the demanding requirements of our customers. Thanks to an adapted alloy concept and process improvements in casting and rolling technology, Saarstahl is able to provide customers with a product that can be used to manufacture chassis springs for BEVs and that offers optimum processability while also having a positive influence on the key properties of the manufactured spring, including ductility and durability.
How does Saarstahl meet the demands of the market from a technical perspective?
Martin Graus: Through strategic investments in recent years in steel plant and rolling mill technology, Saarstahl has achieved optimal conditions that allow it to fulfill the constantly increasing demands of the market for its products. Thanks to processes such as mechanical soft reduction (MSR) in the continuous casting process in Völklingen and thermomechanical rolling in Neunkirchen, Saarstahl can provide its customers with rolled products that offer significantly improved properties such as lower tensile strength, improved ductility, smaller grain sizes and reduced segregation. Especially in the case of spring steel, further improvements in product properties can be achieved by adapting and optimizing the above-mentioned technologies.
About the Saarstahl Group:
The Saarstahl name has long stood for high-quality, customized solutions made from steel. The Saarstahl Group, headquartered in Völklingen, Germany, specializes in the production of wire rod, bar steel, semi-finished products and forged products in premium qualities. Saarstahl is helping find answers to global challenges like mobility, energy efficiency and safety with its innovative products and intelligent technologies. Saarstahl products are sought by the automotive and construction industries, power engineering, the aerospace industry, general mechanical engineering and other steel processing sectors, and they are used in applications that require them to withstand the most extreme conditions. With the acquisition of a rail plant and an electric steel plant in France, Saarstahl is also significantly advancing the environmental transition in the area of sustainable mobility. In December 2023, the EU Commission approved EUR 2.6 billion in federal and state funding for the joint decarbonization project Power4Steel of Saarstahl, Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, and the joint subsidiary ROGESA Roheisengesellschaft Saar mbH.
For more information: www.saarstahl.com
The conversation was conducted by Ruth Müller, Press and Corporate Communications Officer, Saarstahl