Design and Qualification of FerriumŪ M54TM Ultrahigh-Strength Steel For Use in Flight-Safety Critical Components

QuesTek Innovations, a leader in the field of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), will present the most recent updates and accomplishments in  developing their new ultra-high strength, high performance structural steel, Ferrium^® M54^™ steel, which has been recently approved (December 2013) for inclusion in the MMPDS handbook for A- and B- basis design minima. The development of this alloy was sponsored under a U.S. Navy-funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program with the goal of developing a cost competitive, drop-in replacement for AerMet^®100 aerospace alloy.

M54 steel meets or exceeds the performance of AerMet100 in terms of strength, toughness and SCC resistance, and it is easier to machine. M54 steel was designed to an adjusted lower cobalt content (which reduces the risks associated with strategic cobalt sourcing) while maintaining superior mechanical properties. QuesTek accelerated M54 steel’s development from a clean sheet design to a precise chemical composition in less than one year, and produced the first 10-Ton ingot the following year. SAE International issued an Aerospace Material Specification (AMS 6516) two years later. Approval of M54 steel’s inclusion in the aerospace industry’s Metallic Materials Properties Development & Standardization (MMPDS) Handbook in December 2013 marks M54 steel’s successful transition from clean sheet design to full flight qualification in less than six years.

M54 steel is now being applied to flight-safety critical parts on Navy aircraft. Results will be presented from throughout the alloy development process, with a focus on the properties that distinguish it from legacy materials. Commercialization activities are progressing rapidly, and are presently focused on supplying production quantities of key components that have successfully passed rigorous evaluations and prototype testing.