Products and solutions Oct 24, 2006 9:08 AM
TriBond®: Innovative composite with tailored properties
ThyssenKrupp Steel AG developed its new three-layer composite TriBond® in collaboration with C.D. Wälzholz, one of Germany's leading cold rolling operations. TriBond combines the properties of different steel grades, such as wear resistance and good formability, in one material. It is available as both hot- and cold-rolled strip. Using TriBond®, fabricators can shorten their production routes while benefiting from the material's extended properties.
TriBond® is produced by hot rolled cladding, a process patented by ThyssenKrupp Steel. Three layers comprising suitably prepared rough strips and a slab are combined to form a packet which is then welded together along the edges and rolled to a coil on a hot strip mill. The pressure exerted during hot rolling fuses the layers together. The hot strip produced can then be processed directly or re-rolled to cold strip.
The three-layer structure of TriBond® makes it possible to combine different material properties. The current product combines hardness and wear resistance in the outer layers with good formability, provided by a suitable core material. TriBond® allows users to dispense with entire production steps and manufacture products with extended, more flexible and improved properties. For example, parts previously made from deep-drawing steels had to subsequently undergo a complex case-hardening process to meet high wear-resistance requirements. With TriBond®, ThyssenKrupp Steel can now supply a readily formable yet wear-resistant material from coil.
Typical applications are found in engineering and auto construction. By varying layer thicknesses and combining different steel grades, the hot roll cladding process can be used to provide further variants with optimized, tailored properties. It is also possible to combine stainless and carbon steels by this method. ThyssenKrupp Steel is the only steel producer which can supply this innovative product.
This press release is also to be found under www.thyssenkrupp-steel.de