To get excited about knives featuring CPM S110V blades, it helps to know what makes this material so special. According to Crucible Industries, “CPM S110V is a high-alloy martensitic stainless tool steel produced by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy (CPM) process. CPM S110V contains a high volume fraction of both vanadium-rich and niobium- rich primary alloy carbides for exceptionally good wear resistance compared to other commercially available PM tool steels. It also offers better corrosion resistance than 440C or CPM S90V.”
What does that mean in English? Well, a “high-alloy” steel means that it contains additional elements besides carbon to improve its performance qualities. In the case of CPM S110V,that includes vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, cobalt, and chromium. “Martensitic” means that it must go through a heat-treating process to transform its crystalline structure to the hard martensite form characteristic of knife blades. “Stainless steels” are those which contain at least 13% chromium, making them much less vulnerable to rust and corrosion.
Although high-alloy steels have special properties because of the addition of other elements to the steel, when they are processed in the traditional manner—poured into an ingot and then progressively rolled into bars or sheets—the alloys within the steel have a tendency to “segregate” or settle unevenly. This makes the steel’s structure less uniform. The Crucible Particle Metallurgy (CPM) process fixes that. Instead of pouring the molten steel into an ingot, it is forced through a nozzle with high-pressure nitrogen gas. This process creates tiny droplets of steel that quickly cool into a powder. Because of their small size and rapid cooling rate, the perfect mix of alloys achieved in the molten steel is “frozen” in each particle. When the powder is then re-melted to process the steel into finished form, the alloys remain mixed, producing a finer and more homogenous microstructure in the steel.
In simple terms, the CPM process ensures that all the good stuff mixed into the steel to make it perform well stays uniformly mixed throughout the entire manufacturing process. That makes a better steel and, ultimately, a better performing blade.
The alloy composition of CPM S110V includes: Carbon – 2.8%, Chromium – 15.25%, Vanadium – 9.0%, Niobium – 3.0%, Molybdenum – 2.25%, and Cobalt – 2.50%. Collectively, they combine to make a steel that is relatively easy to machine and grind and yields a knife blade that offers exceptionally good wear resistance, a high degree of toughness, and better corrosion resistance than 440C or CPM S90V.
Spyderco is very proud to offer CPM S110V in its elite family of US-made products and looks forward to producing more best-in-class designs with this impressive blade material.
Originally appeared in the March 2016 Spyderco byte e-Newsletter.
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