02/26/2023
Tesla Patents Ultra-Hard Cold-Worked Steel Alloy for Cybertruck Production
“Embodiments relate to ‘cold-worked’ (e.g., cold-rolled) steel alloys with improved strength, hardness and corrosion resistance useful for creating products, such as exterior vehicle body components. Such cold-worked steel alloys may allow the exterior facing vehicle body components to resist denting, scratching, and pitting while avoiding needing a corrosion protective agent (e.g., paint) over the exterior vehicle body components. Cold working (e.g., cold-rolling) strengthens the disclosed steel alloy partly due to strain-induced martensitic phase transformation of the austenitic matrix, which improves hardness and strength for scratch and dent resistance. Advantageously, the phase transformation of the disclosed steel alloy was found to have increased hardness and strength while maintaining corrosion resistance.”
