Scientists from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have devised an ultra-hard vehicle armour to protect military personnel. Details of the steel armour, called Super Bainite, were outlined during a seminar at the University of Cambridge.
The armour contains an array of holes which help deflect incoming projectiles and is composed of steel 'phase' known as bainite. This is produced through a new process which allows the alloy to be produced quickly and cost effectively.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7811567.stm

Originally Posted by perseus

Scientists from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have devised an ultra-hard vehicle armour to protect military personnel. Details of the steel armour, called Super Bainite, were outlined during a seminar at the University of Cambridge.
The armour contains an array of holes which help deflect incoming projectiles and is composed of steel 'phase' known as bainite. This is produced through a new process which allows the alloy to be produced quickly and cost effectively.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7811567.stm

I thought both Bainite and perforated armour had been around since WW2?

I thought both Bainite and perforated armour had been around since WW2?

It states something similar in the link, but a change in the production process has reduced the time of heat treatment down from weeks to hours.

Certain heat treatments alter the fine-scale structure of steel, creating a "phase" known as bainite - which has been known about since the 1930s. But the process, developed by DSTL scientists in collaboration with steelmaker Corus, allows the alloy to be produced quickly and cost effectively.

Originally Posted by perseus

It states something similar in the link, but a change in the production process has reduced the time of heat treatment down from weeks to hours.

Perf armor can de-focus a shape charge weapon but has to be an outer layer with space behind it. In many ways the birdcage "armore worn now by strykers does a similar thing rather cheap. A shaped charge needs contact with a flat mass solid metal. perforations or a sawtooth surface or a lot of slope can defeat a shape charge/heat weapon,especially the basic types like an RPG.

Perf armor is less effective against a kinetic threat but even then surface texture can (sometimes) tumble or deflect a projectile.

Future armor will rely less on a mass of steel and more on layers that affect the threat. Chobham is a big step but more is possible.

Bainite is the mainstray metal for russian tanks. Here they added aviation alloys titanium and chromium to make it resistant to deformation.
It looks like people there dont know how to process and produce good steel because most tanks that I know of use common unprocessed iron or kugel.