Customer driven steel development: the future for structure–property relationships

Abstract

Steels have traditionally been supplied to standards and specifications which embody the collective wisdom of steel manufacturers and their customers. For many users the information contained within existing steel standards finds wide application and satisfies completely the intended use. In other cases, due to the historical nature of steel standards, as steelmaking or processing advances are made then the performance of the steel in use may differ from that on which the standard was first derived. Increasingly, however, the customer wishes to tailor the material specification either to suit a niche market or to give an advantage in production costs. Some of these desires are matched by the closer compositional control made possible by ladle steelmaking or greater consistency of rolling schedules. The extent to which steel development and specifications are increasingly driven by customers are considered, but also the part played by the steelmaker in satisfying end user requirements. Examples are drawn from customer welding specifications, which are increasing tied to improvements in productivity. The impact of customer requirements in further optimisation of mechanical behaviour or heat treatment response is also illustrated.