INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT of FERRIUM N63 STAINLESS GEAR and BEARING STEEL

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) technologies are effective tools to accelerate implementation of new higher performance alloys, shortening design time and reducing cost compared to empirical methods.  Using these technologies and their Materials by Design® approach, QuesTek Innovations LLC has designed a new stainless steel, Ferrium® N63™, for gear bearing applications under a US Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.  

N63 steel is a superior material for bearing and gear components operating in corrosive environments and is optimized for a solution nitriding process, combining high-hardness similar to carburized alloys with stainless properties.  On 300 lbs. lab scale, N63 steel has demonstrated a much greater corrosion resistance than competing alloys such as Pyrowear® 675 and 440C.  

This talk will cover the design and development of N63 steel, present testing results on a full-scale production heat including mechanical, rolling contact fatigue and corrosion data, and discuss a commercialization plan with target applications for adoption and implementation.