High-strength and at the Same Time Tough Semifinished Products and Components of High-Alloy Steel, Method for the Production Thereof and Use

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This patent describes a method for producing high-strength and simultaneously tough semifinished products and components made from high-alloy austenitic steel. The process uses carefully controlled heat treatment, cold forming, and tempering steps to create a unique microstructure composed of both martensite and austenite, with finely dispersed carbides/nitrides. This microstructure imparts exceptional strength and toughness, as well as improved formability and energy absorption, making these steels particularly suitable for demanding structural and safety-critical applications.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Automotive structural and crash energy absorbing components (such as bumper beams or frames).
• Construction and engineering parts subjected to high loads and requiring resistance to fracture (like beams, columns, or machine parts).
• Wear-resistant materials for industrial equipment or tools (e.g., knives, punching tools, wear plates).
• Armoring applications for vehicles or protective barriers, offering both strength and impact resistance.
• High-performance semifinished steel products – slabs, rods, bars, coils, sheets, or tubes for further manufacturing.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Simultaneous achievement of very high strength and high toughness, overcoming the typical trade-off between these properties in conventional steels.
• Enhanced cold formability due to the TRIP (Transformation-Induced Plasticity) effect, allowing complex shaping without cracking.
• Exceptional energy absorption capacity, which is critical for crash safety and impact-resistant applications.
• High wear resistance and hardness, providing longer component life in abrasive or high-stress environments.
• Can be produced from both cast and wrought steels, expanding manufacturing possibilities and cost-effectiveness.
• Process is applicable to stainless and high-manganese steels, potentially imparting good corrosion resistance in addition to mechanical benefits.
• Manufacturing flexibility: the process is robust and can be tailored to achieve desired property combinations by adjusting heat treatment and forming parameters.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to high-strength and at the same time tough semifinished products and components of high-alloy steel, to methods for the production thereof and to the use thereof as structural elements and/or crash elements, as constructional, mechanical-engineering or wearing parts or knife-steel parts or for armour platings or semifinished products, as slabs, profiles, rods, bar steel, coils, sheets or tubes. For this purpose, a high-alloy austenitic steel in the cast state or in the wrought state, with a total content of carbon and nitrogen of greater than 0.1% by mass and less than 0.5% by mass and with delta ferrite making up a proportion of the structure of less than 10% by volume, a) is solution-annealed in the temperature range from 1000 to 1150°C and quenched to room temperature, and so has an Ms temperature of 30 to 0°C, then b) is cooled down to temperatures below -40°C so as to produce α' cooling martensite, c) or is cold-formed at room temperature so as to produce α' forming martensite, d) or is cold-formed in the temperature range below room temperature so as to produce α' cooling martensite and α' forming martensite, e) and following method step b) or c) or d) is subjected to a short-time tempering treatment of less than 30 minutes in the temperature range below the reverse transformation temperature of the martensite into austenite, and after that is cooled down to room temperature, and so the semifinished product or component has a martensitic-austenitic structure containing extremely finely dispersed carbides and/or nitrides and/or carbonitrides with TRIP properties comprising α' martensite in a proportion of 30 to 90% by volume and without precipitates in the austenite.