SAIL's BSP Rolls Special Variety Steel for Satellite Launch Vehicles for Second Time in a Row

According to the latest reports, SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) has rolled out a special variety of steel, maraging steel 'MDN 250' to be used in outer motors casing of satellite vehicles. Maraging steel is a steel alloy, containing up to 25% nickel and other metals, strengthened by a process of slow cooling and age hardening.

The company rolled around 10 slabs weighing 42 tonnes supplied by Misra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) Hyderabad. These slabs were reheated and rolled into plates of 9.3 mm thickness. BSP has achieved this feat for the second time in succession this year.

The forged slabs are made of special steel of very high strength and high temperature resistance consisting of high percentage of expensive alloying elements were rolled at BSP's Plate Mill in presence of senior officials from MIDHANI. The rolled plates will be heat treated further at MIDHANI for use in the outer motor casing of PSLV and GSLV satellite launch vehicles.

BSP plans to take up such rolling of plates on a regular basis which i as bagged a fresh order of around 420 tonne for conversion of MDN 250 slabs into plates at Bhilai's Plate Mill
BSP has done this twice consecutively this year but overall it has done the rolling of plates for MIDHANI for use in satellite launch vehicles for the fourth time. The first lot of slabs from MIDHANI were rolled at Bhilai's Plate Mill was in 2009.

BSP is India's first and main producer of steel rails, as well as a major producer of wide steel plates and other steel products. Under the company's modernisation and expansion plan of INR 18,800 crore that was completed this year, SAIL's hot metal production capacity has gone up to 7.5 MnT an increase of 62% from 4.7 mtpa earlier, making it the largest among all SAIL steel plants.