SKF continues to re-imagine intelligent and clean rotation with the development of an innovative temperature-resistant, corrosion-tolerant steel called ARCTIC15, designed for aeroengine bearings. With the aerospace industry striving to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, next-generation jet engine designs are evolving towards groundbreaking architectures that require rolling bearings capable of higher power density and speeds beyond the current design rules.
SKF’s customers are designing new engines that aim to cut fuel use by 20 to 25%, which also reduces emissions. To support these new designs, SKFs new steel will enable bearing solutions that will enable new architectures of engines for aviation. “As aviation moves toward designing engines that aim to cut fuel consumption by up to 25%, reducing emissions significantly, SKF is innovating to match that ambition. Our new steel alloy, ARCTIC15, is engineered as a breakthrough material to allow for smaller, more compact bearing solutions that handle higher loads, unlocking new engine architectures and driving efficiency across the entire lifecycle, with repairability as a key driver. This novel steel enables faster development cycles and supports industry sustainability goals for the future,” says Gregory Zimmerman, director of the aerospace business unit at SKF.
For such a performance increase, the first step is made by replacing steel rolling elements with ceramic rolling elements. The second step comes by pairing ceramic rolling elements with an advanced aeroengine bearing steel with higher load and temperature capacity than existing steels. These distinctive properties open the door to new engine architectures with enhanced efficiency.
“With cross-functional collaboration and sustainability-driven programmes aligned with global megatrends and industry needs, we are actively driving the climate transition. As both a supplier and customer, we transform deep insights into smart, practical solutions that reduce friction, cut emissions and extend equipment life, helping industries move toward more sustainable operations”, says Hans Landin, president of specialised industrial solutions.
The new patented steel technology will be commercially available and shared by SKF at its Patent Bay. This is a new platform open to companies that aim to accelerate their technologies, with the potential to advance sustainability by making selected patents freely available to others. This is what sparked the development of ARCTIC15. The team has been developing and successfully testing an innovative case-carburised stainless steel for aeroengine bearings for nearly a decade, ever since SKF’s customers began designing next-generation engines focused on reducing fuel consumption, driven by the EU-funded Clean Sky initiative.
Significant material and tribological testing from elemental to the current full-scale tests have been performed, demonstrating the performance of the developed bearing material technologies. Demonstrator and full-scale bearing prototypes have been manufactured by SKF Aerospace factories, combining this advanced steel with ceramic balls, and validating both endurance and resistance to severe operating conditions such as when oil supply is discontinued. An actual ground test demonstration will be performed with one of the industry’s leading aeroengine OEMs in early 2026 as part of the Technology Readiness Levels process.
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