Ultra-fast steel strengthening process
Researchers at Ohio State University have teamed up with inventor Gary Cola to refine a novel heat-treatment for steel fabrication which increases strength by 7% and elasticity by 30% while retaining the strength gains. Moreover, the new heat-treatment only lasts 10 seconds.
Steel sheets, normally, are hardened through heat treatments lasting hours to days at temperatures around 900 degrees Celsius. The new process, named Flash Bainite, carries sheets through temperatures of 1100 degrees Celsius and then immediately dunks them in a cooling liquid bath over a 10 second time window. “We think that, because this new process is so fast with rapid heating and cooling, the carbides don’t get a chance to dissolve completely within austenite at high temperature, so they remain in the steel and make this unique microstructure containing bainite, martensite and carbides,” Babu said.
The process represents an incredible leap in steel fabrication – opening up new possibilities for creating cars, military vehicles, etc. lighter, stronger, and more fuel-efficient.
Contact: Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
