FLASH® BAINITE: ROOM TEMPERATURE WELDABLE ULTRA HARD 600, HIGH HARD 500, AND ADVANCED HIGH STRENGTH STEEL FOR A-CAB

Flash® Bainite Processing employs rapid thermal cycling (<10s) to strengthen commercial off the shelf (COTS) steel sheet, plate, and tubing into Ultra Hard 600 Armor, High Hard 500 Armor, and advanced high strength steel (AHSS). In a continuous process, induction technology heats a narrow segment of the steel cross section in just seconds to atypically high temperature (1000-1300°C). Quenching substantially immediately follows.

A report by Benet Labs and Picatinny Arsenal, investigating a less mature flash technology in 2011, surmised that the novel flash bainite process for steels has the potential to reduce cost and weight while also enhancing mechanical performance [1]. Receiving five financial grants, the US Dept of Energy has greatly matured flash technology in the last few years and its metallurgical understanding in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab and others. DOE has named Flash Bainite as the “SBIR Small Business of the Year” in May 2018 and awarded a Phase 3 SBIR to construct a 10 ton coil-to-coil flash processing line to meet the requests of the auto industry.