High strength low alloy steels

Whilst discussing an enquiry with a customer recently, I was asked about High strength low alloy steels. The customer was quoting for a new component and it was the first time they had come across one of these grades. So for the benefit of anyone unfamilar with them, following is a brief explanation of what they are:-

High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels are a group of low carbon steels that utilise small amounts of alloying elements to attain high yield strengths in the as-rolled or normalised conditions. These steels have better mechanical properties than as rolled carbon steels, largely by virtue of grain refining and precipitation hardening. Because the higher strength of HSLA steels can be obtained at lower carbon levels, the weldability of many HSLA steels is at least comparable to that of mild steel. Due to their superior mechanical properties, they allow more efficient designs with improved performance, reductions in manufacturing costs and component weight reduction to be produced. Applications include oil and gas pipelines, automotive components, offshore structures and shipbuilding.

The alloys used usually include one or more of the following elements boron, vanadium and niobium. Their addition combined with close control of coiling temperatures ensure the minimum yields and tensile properties are achieved in the strip.

The automotive industry in particular has widely adopted the use of HSLA steels to allow weight reduction with its associated fuel saving benefits whilst maintaining the necessary component integrity, so safety is not compromised.

The term micro-alloyed steel is often used to describe the same range of steels.

Some of the commoner grades can be found here

We are able to offer most of the HSLA grades in coil or strip:-

S315MC E315D QSTE 340TM 40/30 045XLK
S355MC E355D QSTE 380TM 43/35 050XLK
S420MC E420D QSTE 420M 46/40 060XLK
S460ML E490D QSTE 500TM 50/45
S550MC E560D QSTE 550TM 60/55 080XLK

We would welcome your enquiries here
More detailed information on HSLA steel can be found at steeluniversity

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