The technology center Eurecat leads three European projects with a total budget of €8.2 million, promoting new solutions in high-strength advanced steel components for the design of lightweight vehicles in the automotive sector and large, more durable, cost-effective wind turbines for offshore wind energy. The three initiatives, running until 2027, are funded by the European Union’s Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS).  5y3b2l

According to Eurecat, one of the three projects, H2FORM3G, is allocated €2.9 million. This project studies the effect of hydrogen in the manufacturing of high-strength advanced steel components for lighter vehicle designs. 

H2FORM3G, with a budget of nearly €2.9 million, studies the effect of hydrogen in the manufacturing of third-generation high-strength advanced steel components for implementation in lightweight vehicle designs. 

The use of high-strength steels enables a reduction in vehicle weight by 10 to 20 percent due to its improved mechanical properties. However, these steels are more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement, which can cause premature fractures in components made from these materials. To prevent these fractures, the H2FORM3G consortium, consisting of 11 partners from four European countries, will provide the necessary tools to prevent the risk of crack formation during the forming of automotive components. 

To achieve this, the project will combine extensive studies on the effect of hydrogen on steel microstructures with new advanced characterization methodologies, such as synchrotron radiation and predictive models. 

According to Sílvia Molas, the project coordinator and Head of the Corrosion and Degradation Line of Eurecat’s Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit, “the new characterization methodologies and predictive models studied in the project will help accelerate the design and optimization of lighter automotive steel components. At the same time, safety in collision cases will be improved by gaining a better understanding of the behavior of these materials, avoiding crack formation during their forming.” 

The Steel4Fatigue project, with a budget of approximately €2.7 million, explores new optimized solutions for dynamic automotive components to reduce the weight of trucks and cars. 

According to Sergi Parareda, researcher of Eurecat’s Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit and project coordinator, Steel4Fatigue will provide the industry “with new characterization and simulation methods that will allow the development and application of new high-strength steels for structures subjected to cyclic loads. Thus, the project’s results will contribute to consolidating steel as a lightweight, cost-effective, and sustainable solution for the future of mobility.” 

The project, with a budget of approximately €2.7 million, includes in its consortium eleven partners from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Romania, and , all leaders in research, technology, and industry. 

The DURALINK project, also led by Eurecat, develops new solutions to extend the lifespan of welded ts and steel chains in next-generation wind turbines, reducing their weight and making them more resistant to corrosion while lowering maintenance costs to increase the competitiveness of offshore renewable wind energy generation. 

Specifically, the project will identify design opportunities to optimize floating marine structures, resulting in reduced capital and operating costs of new offshore wind turbines. It will also innovate in areas such as protective coatings to minimize corrosion on structures, component life estimation, and structure durability, as well as new predictive models for mechanical degradation. 

DURALINK is being implemented to “address the structural challenges and integrity assessment of large structures and anchoring chains that will improve floating platforms for future offshore wind generation, as they are expected to significantly increase in scale with larger turbines to reduce the cost of produced energy,” explains Amadeu Concustell, project coordinator and researcher of Eurecat’s Corrosion and Degradation Line of the Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit. 

The project results, with a budget of over €2.6 million and the participation of seven partners from four European countries, will be transferred to the wind energy, steelmaking, and heavy industry sectors. They will also be shared with standardization bodies to promote the use of the new coatings and high-strength steels developed in the project in floating wind turbines.