Rourkela: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has supplied 30.5 tonnes of MDN-250 (MARAGING Steel) to be used in the upcoming prestigious ‘Gaganayan’ project- the first indigenous manned mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to space.
Gautam Banerjee, ED (Works), RSP flagged off the plates in a function organised at Plate Mill department on Saturday. A.K. Pradhan, CGM, Plate Mill, Sanjay Mohanty, CGM, PP&C, A Dasgupta, CGM (Quality), senior officers and a large number of employees were present on the occasion. Notably, the plates rolled from 14 slabs were the 1st lot of the total order quantity.
Maraging steel is a special quality steel containing Nickel, Cobalt, Molybdenum, Titanium & Aluminium and is manufactured through vacuum melting process. Rolling of Maraging steel requires very stringent process parameters. Generally any steel with higher strength will have low ductility and vice versa. But the significance of Maraging steel is that it has got very high strength (to the tune of 5-6 times of mild steel) along with good ductility. Maraging steel is being used for the launch Vehicle Rocket Motor Casing and for other different defence applications. These Maraging steel plates rolled in RSP were also used in the recently launched Chandrayan-II.
Stringent process parameters were followed and representatives from MIDHANI, Hyderabad and Scientists from ISRO were present during the rolling of the 1st phase plates at Plate Mill. The Process chart for the rolling was jointly prepared by Plate Mill and R&C Laboratory, RSP. The slabs were supplied by MIDHANI, Hyderabad. Slabs were inspected and sorted after receiving. Strict heating parameters were also monitored. Extra soaking of a minimum of 3 hours duration was given inside the furnace for rolling of these slabs. During rolling of these slabs experienced rollers were engaged as these slabs require accurate control during rolling. After rolling, these plates were visually inspected at the cooling bed for their surface finish, thickness, width and length. Then plates were turned over for bottom surface inspection. After the rolled plates were certified by the inspection group of MIDHANI, these were painted before despatching to the destination.
The Plate Mill of RSP has been regularly rolling wide plates of Maraging steel under a long term contract with MISHRA DHATU NIGAM (MIDHANI), Hyderabad. These steels are used in PSLV and GSLV programmes of ISRO. The Mill has so far rolled 2200 tonnes of Maraging Steel and supplied to MIDHANI for the above purpose.
