So, what is abrasion-resistant steel?
Abrasion-resistant steel, or AR steel, is mainly used for applications where abrasion and wear are the causes of failure, and not in infrastructure like buildings or bridges. Typical uses include buckets and other heavy equipment attachments, dump and trailer bodies, concrete mixers, garbage trucks, wear liners and wear parts, such as cutting edges.
AR steel plate is made from steel slabs containing different alloys. Of these alloys, carbon plays a key role in making wear plate abrasion-resistant, because it increases the steel’s hardness. When the carbon increases, the hardness increases, but the toughness is reduced making it more susceptible to cracking.
That’s why good steelmaking processes are vital. You need just the right recipe that balances alloying, heat treatment and chemistry to get the properties you want. At SSAB, we believe we have perfected our recipe for steels that provide maximum toughness and strength yet do not usually require preheating for excellent welding and cutting results.
