Illinois, US-based innovative materials solutions company QuesTek Innovations LLC (QuesTek) has awarded a license to Pennsylvania, US-based Latrobe Specialty Steel Company (Latrobe) to produce and sell Ferrium® M54TM.
A press release by Latrobe said that this is the first license awarded to produce commercially and sell this alloy using QuesTek's compositions, processing expertise and intellectual property. Terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed.
Ferrium M54 is a premium-quality steel that offers ultra high strength and toughness. QuesTek computationally designed and developed M54TM to be a cost-effective alternative to alloys such as AerMet® 100 (in part by limiting high-cost alloying elements such as cobalt), while meeting or exceeding all key properties.
Applications of this class of alloys can include aircraft landing gear and arresting tailhooks, shock struts, tow bars, drive shafts, actuators, blast containment devices, fasteners, golf club face inserts and other highly-loaded components.
QuesTek received funding and direction from the US Navy Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to computationally design and develop M54TM.