Dr Steve Ooi, Group Technical Specialist at Ovako’s R&D Department has an article on our innovative direct-quenching steels published in the May 2026 issue of Materials World – the flagship magazine for members of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).
In the article, Steve explains how direct-quenching steels can enable forged components to achieve the ideal combination of strength, ductility and toughness without needing secondary heat treatment. It’s an innovative approach that can save energy and carbon emissions while also boosting productivity.
The typical production route when hot forging quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel starts with heating the steel to around 1200°C. This makes it soft and ductile so it can be easily molded to intricate shapes and designs in the forging die. After forging, the hot component is allowed to air-cool. The follows the quench and tempering steps to give the finished product its required mechanical properties.
But now, Ovako’s research program shows that it can be possible to eliminate the Q&T step following forging. This is made possible by innovative alloy design combined with close control of the carbon content and phase transformation during direct or interrupted air cooling or isothermal quenching.
You can download the full article here.
