QuesTek Ferrium® S53 Enters DoD Certification Program
Evanston, IL, July 15, 2003 – The Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, a corporate Department of Defense program that promotes innovative, cost-effective environmental technologies through demonstration and validation at DoD sites, has authorized funding for the development and certification of QuesTek’s Ferrium® S53 for use in landing gear.
In December, 2002 a nationally recognized technical symposium and workshop that focused on important and timely environmental issues was held in Washington DC. The two and one-half day event opened with a Plenary Session featuring distinguished speakers from the Bush Administration, the Armed Forces, and an environmental advocacy group. At the conclusion of the Plenary Session, Dr. Charles Kuehmann, President & CEO, and Dr. Gregory Olson, Chief Science Officer of QuesTek Innovations, were recognized for leading the development of Ferrium S53, a new superior stainless structural steel that combines mechanical properties equivalent to current ultrahigh-strength steels with the anti-corrosive properties that virtually eliminate the need for toxic metal plating.
Dr. Herb Ward, Chair of DoD’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program’s Scientific Advisory Board, stated that QuesTek’s computational design methodology reduced the development time from over a decade to just a few years at roughly five percent of the normal development cost. Ferrium S53 was developed with only five prototypes over a two-year period resulting in a development cost savings of approximately $50 million. As a result, a multi-year program has been initiated under ESTCP sponsorship to fully qualify Ferrium S53 for DoD aircraft landing gear components.
QuesTek Innovations is a leader in the emerging field of computational materials design. Using its proprietary Materials by Design® technology, QuesTek develops and licenses unique materials designed to enable new products, reduce or eliminate long-term environmental impact, enhance the performance of existing products or reduce the cost of materials processing. QuesTek’s clients come from both the public and private sectors and include leading Fortune 50 companies. For more information, visit our website at www.questek.com or contact Dr. Frode Stavehaug, Director of Applications Engineering, at 847.425.8214.
