Metal science research aimed at choosing a foreign steel analogue for a racing car suspension member

The relevance of the study is due to the need to solve the problem of import substitution of materials in the automotive industry. The article presents the results of metal research aimed at choosing a foreign steel analogue for the manufacture of suspension parts of a Formula Vostok racing car. The complex of studies included chemical and metallographic analysis, tensile strength tests and hardness measurements. To determine the permissible loads occurring in the suspension guide device members, the method of analyzing the stress-strain state of the loaded assembly with the construction of a 3D model is applied. As a substitute for Italian homologated steel for the manufacture of the suspension guide element, the 20X domestic steel was determined to be the closest in chemical composition. The differences in the properties of the original steel and the substitute steel are related to the peculiarities of their microstructure: high strengthening level of the original steel results from the smaller grain size. Heat treatment in the form of quenching and high tempering (improvement) makes it possible to obtain in 20X steel the strength and hardness closest to the original, with higher ductility.