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Metallurgists at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a lead-free
steel that should allow car makers to prepare for new legislation in the US that
will ban lead in mass-produced products. The tin-based steel is designed to
replace the 3 million tonnes of a steel formulation called 12L14 used every year
worldwide to make fuel injectors, transmission parts and many other car
components. Isaac Garcia at the university says that despite the lack of soft
lead, the new alloy replicates 12L14’s high machinability. The research,
supported by an international consortium of steel companies, also results in
cost savings for steel makers.