SAIL's Bokaro Steel Plant produces special electrical steel for 1st time

Ranchi, Nov 5 (PTI) Steel Authority of India Limited’s (SAIL) Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has developed a special grade steel for the first time, claiming it to be a major step in expanding its portfolio of high-value products.

The newly developed steel finds applications in electric motors, generators, small power transformers, electrical appliances, and rotors for hybrid and electric vehicles, contributing to improved energy efficiency, the company said.

"The Bokaro Steel Plant (SAIL) has achieved a major milestone in product development by successfully producing about 1,100 tonnes of 0.5 mm thick IS 18316 LS Grade Non-Grain Oriented (NGO) Electrical Steel for the first time," it added.

"The heats for this newly developed grade were produced through the Steel Melting Shop-II (SMS-II) route with a specially designed composition — low carbon content to ensure improved ductility and formability, and high silicon content to provide the magnetic properties required for electrical steel," it said.

"The slabs were rolled to 2.8 mm thickness and 1280 mm width in the Hot Strip Mill (HSM) and subsequently cold reduced to 0.5 mm thickness in the Cold Rolling Mill-3 (CRM-3) to achieve high precision, excellent surface finish, and consistent magnetic behavior," the statement added.

With its uniform magnetic properties in all directions, it ensures efficient energy conversion and reduced losses, it added.

The company said the achievement demonstrated its capability in developing advanced, value-added steels for the power, automotive, and renewable energy sectors. PTI NAM MNB