The biggest concern for heavy vehicle fleet operators is how to increase the strength and payload capacity while reducing the weight of vehicles without compromising their safety. For raw material handling operators, the main issue is wear of the equipment and unexpected downtime due to material failure. Irrespective of load regulations in the Middle East, fleet operators demand lighter and stronger vehicles to increase their productivity and reduce operating costs and emissions.
In response to this market demand, Nordic and US-based specialised steel company SSAB continues to develop new steel grades with high strength and hardness ranging from 400HBW to 600HBW, wear resistance and performance. The steel grades are marketed under the Hardox wear plate and Strenx steel brands.
Some of SSAB’s new solutions for the Middle East include the Hardox500Tuf for the tipper industry; Hardox 600 for the mining industry, cement factories and quarries; and Hardox Hitemp, a steel grade that can withstand high temperatures.
The Hardox 500 Tuf is a new generation of Hardox wear plate which combines the best properties from Hardox 450 and Hardox 500 and provides high strength, extreme hardness and guaranteed toughness in one and the same wear plate. Hardox 500 Tuf is tough enough to perform as a structural material in heavy-duty tipper bodies and buckets.
The Hardox 600 is an extra hard and tough steel for extreme wear conditions. At a nominal hardness of 600 HBW, Hardox 600 offers a combination of weldability, hardness and toughness, which eliminates the need to sacrifice wear resistance to enhance impact strength. Traditional quenched and tempered wear-resistant steels lose hardness at higher temperatures. The Hardox HiTemp, a high-heat grade of Hardox wear plate, overcomes this limitation by providing wear resistance at high temperatures in the range of 300–500°C. The properties of HiTemp are achieved by using high-quality raw material combined with a carefully controlled manufacturing process, and it can be cut, welded and machined using the same kind of machinery and technology as for conventional steel.
Ozgur Yalcin, area sales manager, Middle East, SSAB, said: “We are constantly developing new steel grades to offer the highest strength and performance in each market segment. To achieve the ideal combination of increased strength and payload and reduced weight, we offer different grades and thicknesses of Hardox wear plates for tipper bodies and Strenx performance steel for vehicle chassis.”
“These new products have helped SSAB increase market penetration in the Middle East. The Hardox 500Tuf, now available in the market, is opening new design possibilities for our customers. The Hardox 600 material offers unparalleled bendability to the mining industry, cement factories, crushers and quarries. The Hardox Hitemp developed for high temperature applications has also been successfully received by the market,” he added.
SSAB is also promoting the applications of Strenx performance steel in trailer chassis and tipper bodies to reduce vehicle weight.
“Strenx performance steel, when used in the structural parts for vehicles such as chassis components in trailers, reduces the weight of the vehicle body by 25–30%, while maintaining its payload. The use of Strenx in trailer chassis also leads to increased cost savings as a result of using thinner material during welding and fabrication processes.
