Navigating the universe of steel

When we launched our Steel Navigator in November 2016, it was the result of an extensive project that we called internally “Facts and Figures”. Our ambition was to build a platform that would enable us to provide useful technical data to engineers and decision makers around the world. It was, and still is, our belief that by providing best possible technical support we can also help to advance the use of the ideal steel solutions for the many applications we serve. Today, we are happy to see the steady increase in the number of users of this platform. In fact, over the last two years the usage has more than tripled and we are now counting many thousands of users each month, from almost all countries of the world. Thank you all for supporting this development.

The Steel Navigator helps designers and engineers find the right steel grade, explore material data sheets, consult heat treatment guides and use calculators for machining and dimensioning. With the M-Steel Calculator users can select the best cutting set-up depending on tool and material. They can also access information on machine power, chip stream and the expected surface quality of the workpiece. The Piston Rod Predictor lets engineers compare the resistance of different steel grades to buckling, a key design consideration for hydraulic cylinders. There are also features that enable access to all Ovako’s Technical Reports, a steel glossary and other useful links.

Technical data on hundreds of steel grades

The most common starting point for using the Steel Navigator is our library of modularized Material Data Sheets, which makes it possible to search Ovako’s database of hundreds of steel grades to compare options and select the best steel for a specific application. It has been designed by our experts to provide flexibility in the way it can be searched. Users can build a candidate list of potential steel grades by searching directly for a steel according to industrial standards or Ovako steel grade names. They can also enter the steel composition and specify the weldability and hardenability required. The result of a search is a list of steel grades that will meet requirements in varying degrees. On top of the list, you will find your best match. The Material Data Sheets module rates every steel grade depending on how well it fulfills the specified requirements. It also offers extensive information about each steel grade including chemistry and mechanical properties. Each steel grade has all its information gathered on a product sheet that you can print, send or save for later in the “my list” function which saves searches and product sheets for when you return.

Smart predictions of results of heat treatment

Another module is the Heat Treatment Guide, a sophisticated tool to calculate the heat treatment response of any steel grade. Users can choose from hundreds of pre-defined grades (both Ovako grades and international standards) or define their own chemical composition. It is also possible to enter multiple grades in order to compare different alloying variants, making it easy to compare how different grades respond to heat treatment.
The principle idea behind the development of this tool was to increase the understanding of how different alloying elements influence steel hardness after quenching and/or tempering. For most steels, hardness after quenching depends on the cooling rate (sometimes expressed as the time between 800 and 500℃. Hardenability is usually presented in a CCT-diagram or a Jominy-curve. Other more simplified ways to present the hardenability also exist, such as DI-value. Following the quenching process most steels are tempered, and for low and medium alloyed steels the hardness is reduced. Whereas for example certain tool steels and PH-steels, or indeed the Ovako family of Hybrid Steels, the hardness can be maintained or increased after the tempering/aging process.

Reminder - Digital event

Learn more about our Hybrid Steel

I would also like to remind you of the digital event we have planned to explain the rich opportunities with our three variants of Hybrid Steel, each of them offering the possiblity to heat treat to four different executions for optimizing different sets of properties. We are planning a series of webinars and the first one will be held on March 22, 2021, 14.00-15.00 CET. Please click below to accept the invitation to this webcast from our new Group R&D laboratory.