Characterization of electroslag remelted and ladle refined, electric furnace melted 4340 steel armor

The U.S. Army Materials Technology Laboratory (MTL) selected electroslag remelted (ESR) 4340 steel as a candidate steel armor on the Mobile Protected Gun System (MPGS). This investigation characterizes the material in terms of mechanical properties and microstructure. Also, a ladle refined, electric furnace (EF) 4340 steel was brought into this characterization for evaluation as a less costly alternative with respect to processing costs to ESR 4340 steel in terms of mechanical properties.