Recently, Shougang’s scientific research project, the “key process technology research on high-strength DP steel production” has made important breakthroughs. Through the improvement of process technology, the high-efficiency and stable production of Shougang ultra-high-strength DP steel has been achieved. It has provided a guarantee for Shougang ultra-high-strength steel to attain new technological breakthroughs in smelting technology, rolling technology and surface technology, and to reach an internationally advanced level.

With the increasing demand for lightweight, energy-saving and environmentally protective inputs in the automobile manufacturing industry, the application of ultra-high-strength steel has become a mainstream trend, and its application to automobile bodies is very important for energy-saving and emission reduction for automobiles and the improvement of collision safety. The development of related products has also become a research hotspot for major steel mills at home and abroad. Due to its high strength, the work hardening curve of the ultra-high-strength steel is greatly different from that of the general plate. For a long time, uniformity, dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the strip steel have been technical problems that plagued steel mills and restricted the production of ultra-high-strength steel.

The Shougang research team, led by Yu Yang, Chief Engineer of Thin Plate Research Institute of Shougang Research Institute of Technology, and Lin Haihai, a young backbone talent of the Metallurgical Process Institute, is guided by “collaborative innovation” to solve the actual problems of the production line. With the improvement of the quality of products and the stabilization of the production process control of products as the key, they focused on crucial issues such as slab cracks, abrupt changes in plate shape, fluctuations in thickness, and surface peaks, and carried out systematic and comprehensive research on key process technologies in the production process of high-strength DP steel. Yu Yang and Lin Haihai led the research team to achieve technical complementarity through cross-professional and inter-departmental cooperation. With the collaboration between the upstream, downstream and upper-level processes, a joint research team was set up with technicians such as Song Haoyuan from Shougang Co., Ltd. to tackle the high-strength steel rolling stability problem. From the technical aspects of hot rolling performance uniformity and cold rolling control strategy, the division of labor and cooperation has effectively improved the team’s scientific research efficiency; on this basis, the research team effectively utilized the collaboration between production lines and external resources to carry out work on hot rolling temperature control and shape control strategy around the characteristics of the production line. The common problem of the plate shape mutation of the microalloyed DP780 steel and the uniformity of the hot coil performance was overcome.

The 2230 acid rolling AGC transformation project of Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. is the key work of the research team to achieve technological breakthroughs and innovations. This project is the first large-scale renovation of the cold-rolled TMEIC-AGC system in China. The overall difficulty of the project was high, less experience could be learned, and the risk of transformation was high. In the face of many difficulties, the members of the research team did not retreat, and the difficulties were overcome. The technical problems were resolved, which made possible a new successful attempt for the improvement and breakthrough of Shougang’s technical capabilities. The project team fully mobilized the determination of each member to want to work, the courage to be able to work, and the wisdom of working successfully. After unremitting efforts, the core indicators, such as the plate shape pass rate, the incidence of surface peaks and the incidence of slab cracks of Shougang ultra-high-strength steel have been greatly optimized, achieving stable, efficient production and solving the key technical problems of ultra-high-strength steel.

At present, Shougang ultra-high-strength steel has successfully entered the internationally renowned high-end automobile industry and is widely used in various body structure safety parts such as door sills, anti-collision beams, transverse beams and reinforcing plates. With a stable volume supply capability and quality assurance, it has been certified by many well-known car enterprises and component suppliers.