Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. products

Modern vehicles use a variety of structural components to protect passengers and internal systems. In the event of a collision, you want the structural components to absorb energy and/or deform in a controlled and predictable way. Cliffs’ Steel Tubes As Reinforcement – known as C-STAR™ protection - when used in combination with structural components, contributes to the ability for structural components to absorb energy and/or deform in a more controlled and predictable way. A C-STAR structure may be used in electric, hybrid, or ICE vehicles as reinforcements in rocker panels to protect passengers and/or batteries from a side-impact collision. C-STAR protection may also be used to protect motors, engines, electrical components, passenger compartments, storage compartments, and any area in a vehicle where this design is implemented.

The Cleveland-Cliffs Battery Enclosure is a sustainable and robust all-steel battery enclosure concept that meets stringent performance requirements. It is designed to fit any unibody architecture connecting to the rockers through the unique L-shaped tubular side rails. Our Battery Enclosure design utilizes an innovative one-piece bottom tray stamped with laser-welded blanks, which eliminates the need for additional reinforcements to protect the battery cells. It has novel L-shaped side rails, pushing the limit of design while providing robust protection for a side impact. The all-steel design utilized here enables a CO2 reduction of more than 70% as compared to a comparable all-aluminum design. It also has the advantage of thermal runaway mitigation.

ALUMINIZED TYPE 1 STEEL is continuously hot-dip coated on both sides with an aluminum (AI)/silicon (Si) coating. The hot-dip process, pioneered by Cleveland-Cliffs, provides a tight, metallurgical bond between the steel and the coating. This results in a material with the strength of steel, plus the corrosion protection of aluminum and the synergistic heat protection of an aluminum/silicon alloy.

Aluminized Steel Type 2 was developed for superior environmental corrosion resistance.