The European Safe&Clean project, coordinated by the Eurecat technology centre, aims to demonstrate the viability of sustainable steels, with low CO₂ emissions and high recycled material content, to meet the stringent quality requirements for manufacturing modern automotive safety components.
"Steel is a key material in vehicle manufacturing, offering an optimal balance between strength, durability, and sustainability. However, large-scale industrial adoption of low-emission steel versions requires understanding their behaviour under critical conditions", explains the project coordinator and head of the Mechanical Behaviour Line in Eurecat's Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit, David Frómeta.
To verify this, Safe&Clean will develop and test two safety components manufactured with innovative steels produced through low-CO₂ emission processes. These parts will undergo advanced simulations and real-condition testing to assess their formability, mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and overall quality, comparing the results with existing safety standards.
The study will also evaluate the impact of recycling on steel properties, analyse the role of residual elements in production, and establish fast and efficient characterization methods to accelerate their market introduction.
Through these tests, the project aims to evaluate crash performance, fatigue behaviour, and structural integrity of sustainable steel parts, ensuring compliance with the demanding performance and safety requirements of the automotive sector.
The project's objective is to generate relevant results through advanced research and innovation, providing knowledge for a more sustainable future for both the steel and automotive industries.
"Generating reliable data and demonstrating the feasibility of these materials is key to increasing industry confidence and facilitating the adoption of low-emission steels in the automotive sector", adds Montse Vilaseca, Director of Eurecat's Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit.
The project also contributes to achieving the European Union's goals for greenhouse gas emission reduction, promotes resource-efficient production, and supports the Clean Steel Partnership and the European Green Deal, in pursuit of a climate-neutral industry by 2050.
The project is funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) of the European Union and involves a consortium of nine partners from five European countries including key players from the steel and automotive industry. Eurecat Technology Centre is the coordinator and other members are Autotech Engineering Deutschland (Gestamp), Centro Ricerche Fiat, I2M, IDIADA, Istituto Italiano della Saldatura (IIS), University of Mondragon, SSAB, Salzgitter AG, and University of Siegen.
