PUNE: The Union
road transport ministry is considering a proposal to make it mandatory for the
automobile industry to use only galvanised steel. The government has asked
leading automobile safety and engineering institutions such as the International
Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, and the Automotive Research
Association of India (ARAI) in Pune to send inputs and recommendations for the
plan. The proposal will then go to a standing committee of Parliament before a
final call is taken.
“Although there are 150 steel standards, vehicle steel has no
standards in India. We adopt European standards. Cars with a value of less than
Rs 10 lakh have the minimum galvanisation. This proposal was submitted to the
government on the premise that galvanisation will increase life of a vehicle
against corrosion and rust. I have advised the ministry to improve standards to
reduce fatalities in road accidents through this. The technical standing
committee will eventually set standards on galvanisation and make it
compulsory,” says Veerendra Singh Rathore, technical advisor, road safety,
ministry of road transport, and the person behind the proposal. Once this is
done, this will become the automobile industry standard.
The ministry has also written to the Society of Indian
Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the holding union of car manufacturers in
India, this December and sought their views on the subject. SIAM’s response is
awaited.
At present, less than 30 per cent of the steel used in cars is
galvanised and that too is not on a regular basis across car manufacturers. In
export models, the amount of galvanisation is often around 70 per cent. This is
primarily because Europe and the US have stringent rules mandating
galvanisation of automotive steel. Flat products, such as hot rolled, cold
rolled and coated steel sheets, account for about 80 per cent of steel products
consumed by the auto makers. Steel is used for roof, chassis, wheels, brakes,
exhaust and engine.
Galvanised steel, a must abroad, will shield cars from rust,
corrosion. Make them last longer. In 2015, IIT Bombay carried out an
extensive study of automotive body corrosion in Mumbai and adjoining areas to
track corrosion performance of currently used materials in India-made cars
valued at less than Rs 10 lakh.
The study adopted methodology similar to the one used in North
America to check for visible perforations, paint blisters, and surface red
rust. The survey was conducted in coastal and other humid regions of Mumbai.
The results were surprisingly similar to those seen in a Detroit survey despite
the fact that no road de-icing salts are used in Mumbai. The IIT report proved
there is a corrosion problem affecting the durability and the eventual safety
of cars in India. This is particularly visible in all coastal and high-humidity
areas.
“In India, regulations are weak and carmakers are taking
advantage of that. Cold-rolled sheets have to go through a seven-round cleaning
process which can be totally avoided if galvanised steel is used. This can
neutralise any costs that accrue because of galvanisation. There is also no
impact on the weight of the car as the total thickness (of the zinc layer) is
of 40 micron, which will add only around a couple of kilograms to the weight of
the car,” says Prof Anand Khanna of IIT Bombay who headed the Mumbai study.
Also in India, most car owners get an underbody and body
coating done to prevent corrosion at a cost of anything between Rs 4,000 and Rs
8,000. According to experts, this can be avoided if galvanised steel is used by
carmakers. What’s more, the net cost burden on consumers would be under Rs
10,000 if steel in a car was to be galvanised and the results are far better
than the coating that lasts only two to three years. Galvanisation lasts a
vehicle’s life.
There are many advantages for carmakers as well, apart from
the savings on cleaning the CR sheets. Rahul Sharma, director, India, International
Zinc Association, says: “Paintability in galvanised steel is much better than
plain cold-rolled steel. It can be taken straight to the paint shop instead of
going through a cleaning process.” Galvanisation is required in a car chassis,
wide body and nuts and bolts. But just 30 per cent galvanisation is there in
the chassis of Indian cars, he adds.
It is also a fact that India has abundance of zinc. “India
produces sufficient zinc. Its availability will never be a problem for either
the steel industry or auto industry. Galvanisation of steel used in car body
enhances the life of a vehicle multifold…your recurring expenditure on repairs
decreases and your safety increases. Use of galvanised steel in cars will
definitely add to the safety of passengers and bring enhanced value to the
cars. The new mega infrastructure development that is happening in India today,
with the use of steel, should only use galvanised steel for strength and long
life,” says Sunil Duggal, CEO of Hindustan Zinc Limited, one of the world’s
largest zinc manufacturers.
While a lot of thought is going towards various aspects of
road safety, it is surprising that India still follows old and archaic rules
when it comes to automotive steel. Perhaps the government and its committees
will act on this soon and mandate zinc coating of vehicles to make them
stronger and reduce fatalities in road accidents.
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