Tata Steel, Europe’s second largest steel producer, has extended its quenched and tempered Abrazo plate product range, available in thicknesses up to 130 mm. According to the vendor, they can be used in wear applications where equipment is used at very low temperatures or where impact toughness is required. Material with guaranteed toughness levels is available as Abrazo 400 and 450, Tata Steel’s wear-resistant plate offering in 400 and 450 Brinell hardness.
The product development follows a €23 million investment in Tata Steel’s Clydebridge and Dalzell, Scotland sites over the last three years. The investment, said the company, strengthened its product range, providing heavy-equipment suppliers with a range of plate products suitable for demanding wear or structural applications.
Tata said the roller-quenched steel has been developed over a number of years through a close working relationships with its customers in the mining, quarrying and construction industries. The addition of new equipment and processes in Scotland has enhanced production capacity as well as capabilities; as Tata explained, key parameters such as furnace atmosphere now can be accurately controlled, leading to improvements in surface finish. Furthermore, the investment has enabled an increase in finished plate width-up to as much as 3,200 mm on request-meaning larger components can be produced by customers in one piece and manufacturing processes such as nesting are optimized. Additionally, the quenching and tempering capacity has been increased by 50% to 160,000 mt/y following the investment. A wide range of stamping and marking options are available, including new automatic stamping that enhances product traceability.
The investment included the installation of a new heavy-plate press at Dalzell, which significantly increased the site’s capacity to provide a very thick plate with particular flatness qualities as required by customers. The final plate product can be supplied in as-processed, shot-blasted or primed configurations.
Tata Steel said it also has strengthened its commitment to Germany’s surface mining market by improving local availability of required products. The complete range of quenched and tempered Abrazo and RQT products is now available via the subsidiary Blume Stahlservice, located in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
