REFUSAL OF PRODUCING 42CRMO4 STEEL PLATE IN Q+T CONDITION 1

[vthomidis]

Hello everybody,

It is true that the Q+T issue has been thouroughly and often discussed in many threads, but here is just my mention of a situation I faced recently.

To begin with, the following refers to European market.

Some ( quite a few ) years ago I used to purchase steel plates
mainly in size of 60 x 3000 x 8000 mm in quality 42CRMO4 in Quenched an Tempered condition ( min. tensile strength 900 MPa )

The supplying steel mill was a well known German manufacturer, now having been merged and acting under a different brand name.

Over the last 3-4 years same requierement has been brought up again for plate of same thickness but in 2200 x 7000 mm format .

However, now steel mills persistently reject in applying the Q+T heat treatment, providing only normalizing condition.

Their reason is that, Q+T has to be effected in cut/machined products ( rings, segments etc. ) i.e. only after they have "reached" their final shape - mentioning that even in that case distortion is quite possible.

Furthermore, independent hardening shops, also reject in applying
the Q+T treatment in the plate mentioning that eveness of the plate will be a "mess" and that subsequent straighting possibility can't be guaranteed.

Of course, the fact that such heat treatment is generally applied on "finished" products is well known.

On the other hand :

- Proccessing of Q+T plate has been done in the past with no
actual problems.They were cut in curved sections ( to form a
ring after being welded )
- EN 10083-2 standard specifies the production of steel plate of
said quality and condition.

I am sure that the mills' and shops' concerns are justified but....is it a really a "dead end" situation ?

 

[metengr]

vthomidis;

Have you contacted the mill below?

http://www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com/en/produkte/gesamt_lieferprogramm/grobblech.jsp

 

[vthomidis]

Thank you for your guidance metengr.

Well, yes well known manufacturer but still negative.

On a second thought small tonnage required ( only approx. 7 tons ) is also a drawback for obtaining any workable result...

 

[MikeHalloran]

Nobody's going to retool, or even adjust, a mill for a mere 7 tons.

Did you ask them how many tons would tempt them to do it?
Can you store that much inventory for future use?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[vthomidis]

Well, no possibility for inventory especially for such quality.
It is destined for customized products.

Nevertheless, all inquiries have been effected through steel
stockholders who have permanent ( and good ) relation with the steel mills.

There is no workable hope in contacting directly steel mills
for minor quantities as mikehalloran pointed out.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Here in The Colonies, our Steel Service Centers like to say that they exist to help customers with distribution issues.

They say, or at least suggest, that for a good customer, e.g. one who pays on time and has been in business for a while or has a good chance of staying in business for a while, they will do things like accept and store a mill order and resell it a little at a time as the good customer needs it.

I have found that some steel dealers actually want your business, and some want to keep their inventory.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[vthomidis]

Colonies eh? ....hahaha ( that was a good one ).

Jokes apart, European market being in the current condition, it is
quite difficult to obtain such facility from steel service centers.

Anyway, matter has been rather solved.We have settled down to
purchasing the plate in normalized condition.