Tata Steel introduce Valast 450

New hot-rolled, abrasion-resistant, high-endurance steel strip product available in widths up to 2m

FOR the first time, Tata Steel are offering a hot-rolled abrasion-resistant strip product, called Valast 450, that enhances their offer to long-standing customers, including global manufacturers of construction, mining and quarrying equipment.

Valast 450 is said to provide superior surface quality when compared with conventional abrasion-resistant plate products in ‘as rolled’ condition. Rolled at Tata Steel’s state-of-the-art facility in IJmuiden, The Netherlands, and cut to length on some of Europe’s most powerful decoilers in Maastricht and South Wales, Valast offers consistent dimensional tolerances, flatness and a quality finish.

As a strip product, Valast can be cut to any length required by manufacturers, whilst also being offered in the greatest width of any strip – up to 2m. This greater level of customization will help manufacturers achieve better nesting, in turn reducing wastage and improving efficiency. Valast’s greater dimensions also reduce manufacturers’ welding requirements, saving time and improving structural rigidity.

Abrasion-resistant steels are typically used in applications where ruggedness is key, such as tipper bodies, dumptrucks and excavator buckets, so steel hardness is vital. Tata Steel have invested in an extensive development programme to yield an abrasion resistance in Valast 450 that is 2.5 times greater than structural steel, while retaining its ability to weld thanks to a low carbon equivalent (CEV/CET).

Glyn Martin, customer technical support engineer at Tata Steel, said: ‘Abrasion-resistant steels are subject to some of the most rigorous duty cycles in the toughest working environments imaginable. Valast 450 offers the dependability expected of an abrasion-resistant steel, while also providing customers with outstanding quality and efficiency, as well as the level of technical support synonymous with Tata Steel.’