The lightest and most resistant motor for an electric car is made with steel and titanium

The decarbonization of the automobile industry represents a fundamental change from combustion engines to electric ones. The search for the maximum efficiency To take advantage of the capacity of the batteries involves using components of high quality steel to reduce weight and ensure optimal engine performance.

High-performance steel materials can improve ride comfort by reducing noise and resist wear caused by high-speed engine rotation. It is essential to optimize the steel modification process, which consists of enriching the surface with carbon, nitrogen and alloying elementsto produce these advanced materials.

Twelve materials tested, including titanium

To understand how the elements interact when combined with steel, a research team from the Osaka Metropolitan Universityheaded by Professor Tokuteru Uesugi from the Graduate School of Computer Science, has carried out a systematic study.

He carried out theoretical calculations on 120 combinations different from 12 elements alloy, such as aluminum and titaniumwhich interact with carbon during carburization and with nitrogen during nitriding.

The results indicate that by placing titanium in a specific arrangement, it combines with nitrogen or carbon, hardening the iron. Furthermore, analytical data demonstrated that the alloying element must have a larger metallic radius than the iron atom to achieve effective bonding.

“Although it was not easy to decipher the mechanism from the results of numerous calculations, we resorted to techniques such as multiple linear regression and stratified analysis through trial and error,” says Professor Uesugi. “We hope that these results will improve our understanding of the strengthening mechanisms of steel, contribute to increasing its durability and encourage the development of superior quality materials,” he adds.