Jun 17 2014
Outokumpu and Swedish fuel system company TechROi Fuel Systems (TFS) have developed a new stainless steel fuel tank, which is used in the new Saab 9-3. Stainless steel properties make the new tank a competitive alternative for plastic tanks.
The forever evolving car industry requires competitive materials. The properties of stainless steel combined with creative engineering competence in the material, design and manufacturing processes resulted in an innovative fuel tank. Use of Outokumpu HyTens® steel grade allowed extremely thin walls and tailored strength, making the tank approximately three kilograms lighter than plastic fuel tank. Stainless steel tanks are pressure resistant and have excellent crash properties due to an appropriate deformation hardening of the grade.
Peter Britmer, Sales Manager at TFS says: “TechRoi Fuel Systems engineering team has validated complete fuel tank design according to OEM specifications. We are very pleased with the technical support we have received from Outokumpu, which led to a very long-term partnership. With the help of Outokumpu we get the support we need to reach our ambitious targets.”
Outokumpu’s simulation and forming expert Ramin Moshfegh says: “The winning concept is a result of number of factors – good design, proper material selection, engineering expertise and the access to the material with sufficient delivery reliability. HyTens is perfect grade for developing the new fuel tank as its price for prototype is competitive. The investment cost for the customer is lower compared to plastic tanks. The lighter weight and durability of stainless steel bring tangible benefits for car manufacturers as well as for the car owners.”
“Outokumpu has significant knowledge on stainless steel tanks and the automotive team consists of experts across the Group. We have previously developed and implemented stainless steel tanks for car manufacturers in the US market,” says Stefan Schuberth, Senior Manager of application development at Outokumpu.
The first series of the new innovative stainless steel fuel tanks have been developed and produced by TechROi Fuel Systems for the new Saab 9-3 that is manufactured by National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS), in Trollhättan, Sweden.
Source: http://www.outokumpu.com