By fine-tuning the manufacturing process, Ovako has further enhanced the purity of its new IQ (Isotropic Quality) steel. Isotropic refers to the fact that the steel has equal strength in all directions, and the new steel is especially well suited to demanding applications that are subjected to high loads, such as rolling bearings and components for the automotive industry. The increased properties of this new steel quality also means that components can be manufactured with lower material thickness, making it increasingly possible to save weight.
Ovako´s new steel is primarily designed for manufacturing parts that are subjected to high loads and where equalised strength is required in all areas of the component. A newly developed manufacturing process has allowed Ovako to achieve a very high cleanliness in the new IQ steel, giving the material these very qualities.
'Sulphide stringers' are a major disruption in a steel's integrity and the new IQ-steels can resolve this problem. In essence the steel refining, together with the minimal occurrence of sulphur stringers and other non-metallic inclusions, gives the steel its outstanding isotropic properties.
Examples of the applications for which IQ steel has been designed are rolling bearings, gearbox components and advanced fuel injection systems for efficient car engines. IQ Steel is particularly useful where priority is given to strength and reliability, combined with low weight in manufactured components.
"Compared with a regular steel, rolling-bearings manufactured with material from the new process can, for example, offer 20 per cent higher lengthwise fatigue resistance. Similarly, construction steel can improve by up to four times its usual crosswise impact strength," says Patrik Ölund, head of material development at Ovako. "This means that the new IQ steel is ideal for demanding applications such as in the vehicle industry where high strength and low weight are often at a premium."
The purity, combined with the improved properties, now make it possible to manufacture components with a slimmer material thickness than before and can offer weight reduction without compromising strength requirements.
"Through the development and refinement of our steel manufacturing process we have been able to further minimise the occurrence of non-metallic inclusions, eliminate sulphide stringers and offer a better steel to our customers," says Ölund. "All Ovako's standard steel grades can be upgraded to an IQ specification, our highest quality standard, enabling us to optimise our steel to meet individual customer application demands."