Sustainable medium manganese Steels for cost-efficient applications in heavy industries

ongoing

The objective of the SUMMSEED project is the development of medium-Mn steels (MMnS) tailored to the industrial conditions of casting as well as remanufacturing by directed energy deposition (DED). This aims at establishing a more sustainable production of applications for heavy industries. MMnS aims at covering the current demand for compositionally lean yet very strong, versatile and formable steels, at lower production cost and improved performance than the traditional Hadfield steels. The versatility of the material concept developed within SUMMSEED, will allow its use in both casting and DED. Thus, the viability of MMnS for reparation to promote a circular economy and extend the lifespan of valuable components will be investigated. Also, the project shall prove the required strength, toughness, ductility and wear resistance for such applications as established intrinsic assets for the adoption of the developed MMnS. SUMMSEED is based on an inter-disciplinary collaboration providing the expertise and the capabilities of the partners along the entire manufacturing chain: from the alloy design, feedstock production, casting and DED to component quality validation. This roadmap is assisted by micro-analytical and mechanical testing as well as advanced laboratory and in situ synchrotron characterization. While most of the prior advances on medium-Mn steels have been focused on the physical metallurgy at laboratory level and thermo-mechanical processing, SUMMSEED will pioneer the development of this material for industrially-oriented cost-efficient near-net shape techniques. The project's anticipated impacts relate to reduced CO2 emissions, decreased reliance on critical raw materials, and the creation of new opportunities for economic growth and job creation in the European steel sector.