Monthly
Stainless Trivia
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Jindal Stainless supplies the IRSM 44, ferritic stainless steel, also known as EN 1.4003/ 3CR12 globally, which is one of the best stainless steels suited for railway wagons.
Stainless steel has seen immense growth in the railway industry. From the taps at the railway stations to fully-developed wagons, stainless steel is present everywhere as it is a versatile metal - it can withstand high temperatures, is durable and corrosion resistant, and has a much longer life than any other metal currently available in the market. Wagons require a high-strength material with good formability and weldability as they traverse various weather conditions. The material, therefore, has to be corrosion-free and should be able to withstand wear and tear during transportation. The material transported by wagons can range from food & dairy to powders & chemicals. The body of wagons, therefore, requires to be non-reactive and tamper-proof, in order to take care of both the material inside the wagon and the environment outside it. Compared to the 15-20 years life of mild steel wagons, stainless steel wagons can last in excess of 45 years, which turns out to be an economical choice for both, Railways and wagon manufacturers. The metal’s fire resistance (ability to withstand temperatures in excess of 900 degrees centigrade), higher impact resistance, improved slide-ability, higher weldability, and corrosion resistance, even in wet abrasive applications, make it an optimum choice for usage in the transport sector. The metal also eliminates time-taking and expensive maintenance efforts such as regular coating or painting.
A wagon is an element of the train that is designed to move along a railway track. They are of different types, depending on the usage: wagons for transporting livestock, refrigerated wagons, tanker wagons, crane wagons, and container wagons. At the beginning of the railway era, most of the goods wagons were simple four-wheeled, exclusively small, and open with sideboards. With increasing human intervention and the evolution of transport vehicles, specialised wagons were developed. Today, freight traffic, which is the movement of goods through trains, is a major constituent of revenues earned by Indian Railways, making up more than 60% of overall revenues. Besides, India is still a country where most freight is carried by road transport, implying a huge latent potential for wagon traffic in future. In such a business scenario, stainless steel wagons are being preferred over other wagons owing to their benefits, translating into massive growth potential for the stainless steel industry. Interestingly, the Indian Railways have had a fleet of around 300 stainless steel coal wagons under trial for five years. Through this experiment, it was found that not only the wagons were much lighter but also the downtime for these coal wagons was very low.
Jindal Stainless has been instrumental in the Indian metro journey. Currently, the Company enjoys a market share of approximately 85% in the Indian railways market and is the preferred supplier to globally acclaimed metro car manufacturers such as Alstom, Bombardier, BEML, CAF, etc. This is a perfect example of ‘Local to Global’ as Jindal Stainless offers world-class quality stainless steel to its international customers. The Company has the capability to manufacture various finishes in stainless steel, and all variants of stainless steel grades are used in metro projects around the world. It is the sole supplier of stainless steel for various metro projects in and outside India, such as the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, Agra-Kanpur Metro Project, Mumbai & Chennai Metro, Queensland & Sydney in Australia, and Montreal in Canada. Jindal Stainless is India’s largest manufacturer of stainless steel in 200, 300, 400, and duplex grade stainless steel products. Owing to its extensive contribution to the metro segment, Jindal Stainless has significantly helped in the country’s economic growth.
