Dillinger Hütte - for the first time ever- delivers heavy plates with a thickness exceeding 500 mm

This forming press is the most powerful press of that type ever built in Germany. The time frame for our partner was extremely tight which is usual for projects like this. Dillinger Hütte managed this challenge in a competent way due to its experience as market leader for heavy plate. All plates, grade S 355 JR+N were we delivered to our partner exactly according to schedule. The production of ultra heavy plates with project specific dimensions is extremely challenging and requires outstanding production units: ultra thick and homogenous pre-products are casted in the Dillinger steel plant order-related. The heavy plates are rolled to size with enormous rolling forces. Special rolling schedules result in a most possible mid thickness deformation. For such ultra thick plates, even quality controlling tests of mechanical properties are a challenge: the test coupons taken form the plates had a weight exceeding 300 kg. For normal plate thickness, coupons are handled manually. In spite of plate thicknesses for this project exceeding 500 mm, Dillinger Hütte ensures mechanical properties as EN 10025 requires for plates up to a thickness of 400 mm. The properties such as strength and Charpy notch toughness are consequently verified with samples taken from the plate. This makes a considerable difference between heavy plate and other products without guaranteed mechanical properties. As a consequence, heavy plate is a reliable basis for heavy steel constructions and allows for reliable planning of a project.