Super Bainite (High Hardness) Steel

Background

Super Bainite steel is a high performance armor steel, following live fire trials it has been demonstrated to have a hardness matching that of alternative high hardness armour steels, and some ceramic armours, at a much reduced cost.

Technology

One of the key attributes of the Super Bainite steel, as armour steel, is its two phase production process. The steel is produced using conventional strip steel furnace/production processes to make the low - alloy steel, which in its hot state can be rolled/coiled as conventional strip steel.  Following production the steel is in a relatively soft pearlite phase and not hardened. The steel can then be worked i.e. cut, machined, bent etc. to be made into final armour components, using conventional machine shop tooling.  It can then be hardened by using a simple isothermal heat treatment process where the steel converts to fully hardened Super Bainite steel.

Characteristics

• Super Bainite Steel is low alloy –4.7% (Si Mn Cr Mo) –0.8% C -with no Al, Co, Ti, Ni.
• Proof Stress at 0.2% (0.2PS -Rp0.2) is -1673 MPa
• Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) (RMm) is -2098 MPa
• Elongation (El) is 11% Reduction of Area (RA) is5%
• Charpy Notch Impact number 5 Joule -based on a 10mm x 10mm specimen at room temperature
• Vickers Hardness (HV30) of 690HV30 Brinell (10 mm Ball, 3000 kg load) of 574HBW Rockwell C (20 degree cone 150 kg) of HRC 57
• Available in a fixed width of 1250mm up to 5.5m length  and two gauges 6.3mm & 8.5mm.     

                

Applications

• Armoured Vehicle Protection
• Wear Steel Components
• Extrusion/Bar Components

Benefits

• Made as a Pearlite -easy to process
• Ballistic mass efficiency of 2.5 in a perforated steel armour system