Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has developed an ultra-strength steel of high fracture toughness that is significantly less expensive to manufacture than existing products. The new material also has high fracture toughness, particularly during stress corrosion cracking in salt water, making it applicative for the manufacturing of critical parts auch as landing gear for naval aircraft.
When the process is commercialised, the new steel would be more affordable, compared to specialty steels currently used in applicable aerospace industries. This steel contains no cobalt and only a relatively small amount of nickel and therefore is much less expensive than other ultra-high strength steels of high fracture toughness — all of which contain large amounts of cobalt and nickel. While the alloy was developed with Navy aircraft applications in mind, given its low cost and high toughness, it could be used for other applications. The next step in the development would be to assess its properties in commercial scale heats.
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