Ohio State University has announced the invention by a Detroit entrepreneur of a heat treatment that makes steel seven percent stronger than any steel on record in less than 10 seconds.
The new steel, trademarked as Flash Bainite for now, has tested seven percent stronger and more shock-absorbent than the most common titanium alloys used by the industry. Flash Bainite steel can be rolled 30 percent more than common steel without losing its enhanced strength. In the inventor Gary Cola's lab setup, the rollers carry steel sheets through flames as hot as 1,100 degrees Celsius and then into a cooling liquid bath while the typical temperature and length of time for hardening in most heat treatments for steel is around 900 degrees Celsius for a few hours or for a few days.
The Detroit entrepreneur is now working with researchers at Ohio State University to gain a better understanding of the science behind the new treatment, called flash processing.
The new steel producer may hold the key to making cars and military vehicles 30 percent thinner, lighter and more fuel-efficient without compromising safety.