Scientists from Belgorod State University have proposed a solution that metallurgists around the world have been seeking for decades: how to make steel both hard and elastic. Usually, these properties are mutually exclusive — the stronger the metal, the more brittle it is. Belgorod researchers managed to overcome this limitation by controlling the structure of the material at the micro level.
Instead of allowing carbon to form brittle carbide inclusions, specialists directed it to stabilize the plastic phase — austenite. As a result, a strong frame of tempered martensite and bainite is formed in the metal, which is "stitched" with flexible layers of austenite. This hierarchical three-phase structure allows steel to withstand extreme loads without destruction.
The new material demonstrates mechanical characteristics that were previously considered difficult to achieve for economically alloyed grades: the tensile strength reaches 1,190 megapascals, the relative elongation is 14.1 percent, and the impact strength is 66 joules. These indicators were obtained thanks to a combined heat treatment regime, which the developers called "quenching-distribution" with additional holding at a controlled temperature.
The practical application of the new steel is in critical components of transport and agricultural machinery: suspension elements, chassis parts, wear-resistant components of tillage machines. The increased viscosity of the material reduces the risk of sudden failure under shock loads, and the high strength allows reducing the weight of parts without loss of reliability.
