What kind of steel does ice skate use?

Skates are required in figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating and short track events stipulated by the International Skating Union (ISU) and ice hockey events of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). What kind of steel is used for ice skates? You know what?

The skate is not a real skate, but a steel blade under the sole of the skate. It is the most important part of the skate.

According to the structure and movement characteristics, skates can be roughly divided into three categories: speed skating skates, figure skates and hockey skates.

Carbon steel ice skate: generally used by beginners, it belongs to the entry-level level. Ice skates of different quality mainly depend on the carbon content. Although the hardness of ice skates used in the same project meets the same standard, due to different grades of steel, under the same conditions, higher grades of steel will maintain the service life of the edge of ice skates for a longer time. Under normal circumstances, The surface hardness of ice skates made of carbon steel after heat treatment is hrc56 ~ 64.

Stainless steel, high-grade carbon steel or high-speed tool steel ice skates: generally used by skilled or intermediate enthusiasts. The steel grade of ice skates is high, which has strong corrosion resistance and can improve the frequent jumping and rotation of skaters.

This kind of skate is usually coated with a layer of titanium compound on the surface. After grinding, the maximum hardness on both sides can reach hrc85, which reduces the friction between the skate and the ice and improves the sliding speed, such as 12c27 and 14c28n in Sandvik, Sweden. 14c28n is martensitic stainless steel, which has excellent edge properties, very high hardness and good corrosion resistance after cold working.

Powder alloy (PM): generally used by international athletes or fever lovers, such as K190 and k390 alloys produced by Bohler company in Austria, which are high-end steel for ice skates.

Coated high-speed steel: it is characterized in that thin titanium nitride or titanium carbide is coated on both sides of the blade, and the blade is made of bimetallic composite steel as a whole. After grinding and sharpening, the blade with high hardness (hrc80-85) and low roughness (ra0.1 ~ 0.2) is formed on both sides, which greatly improves the service life of the blade, reduces the friction between the blade and ice and improves the sliding speed without reducing the toughness of the blade.

Powder metal tool steel: it has the absolute best sliding speed and wear resistance, which is produced by few foreign companies.

The ice skates used for international competition should generally have the basic necessary characteristics of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, working face suitable for different ice hardness, light weight, less grinding times in the later stage, adapting to frequent jumping, sliding and not easy to be connected and welded with the sole.

For athletes, the use of excellent equipment for competition is like adding wings to the tiger. Today, with the development of steel technology, there are no insurmountable barriers to the R &D and production of high-grade steel for ice skates.