TATA Steel produces Super Bainite for British tanks and military vehicles

[Dillinger]

A member of staff shows Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (R) the blast furnace controls during a visit to the Tata Steel Works in Port Talbot, South Wales on December 14, 2012. Prince Charles visit Tata Steel’s steelworks where he met employees and members of the community, before visiting the Blast Furnace Control Room. — Photo by AFP

PORT TALBOT: Britain’s Prince Charles got the lowdown Friday on a new kind of steel which could transform safety for soldiers battling the Taliban in Afganistan.

Charles, the heir to the throne, visited a factory in Port Talbot, south Wales, where Super Bainite has been developed by the Ministry of Defence and Indian steelmaking giant Tata Steel.

The lightweight, super-strength anti-ballistic steel has a lattice form, which could be used to armour-plate troop carriers and tanks.

Dozens of British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan by improvised explosive devices buried under roads by Taliban insurgents.

Charles, the Prince of Wales, was shown a video about the new product as he toured the factory.

“It will give our troops a level of protection they have not had before and which nobody in the world offers. It is unique to the UK,” a Tata spokesman said. “We thought that it would interest the Prince of Wales because, of course, he has two sons in the military.”

His oldest son, Prince William, is a search and rescue helicopter pilot in northwest Wales, while Prince Harry is serving as an attack helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

Charles arrived on the Royal Train. The visit was to mark the building of a new blast furnace at the plant.

“It is always an enormous pleasure for me to come back here and visit this incredible place,” Charles told a group of senior Tata Steel workers. “Having heard a little about it, I understand that it will become one of the most sophisticated blast furnaces in Europe.”

Tata Steel, part of the sprawling Tata Group conglomerate, became one of the world’s biggest steelmakers after buying Anglo-Dutch company Corus for $13.7 billion in 2007.

http://dawn.com/2012/12/15/britains-charles-shown-tatas-new-military-grade-steel/

Can anyone shed light on this material called "Super Bainite"? What sets it apart from other specialized materials used in armoring solutions for vehicles and tanks? If TATA is indeed the company that has created the material then what are the chances of similar products being offered to our MOD by TATA?

 

[SwatCat]

Good news

 

[karan21]

Lol Prince would be like Holy **** My mom used them as slaves, and now they give us jobs .

 

[Skull and Bones]

Wow, it seems like Corus, subsidiary of Tata Steel bought the patents right of 'Super Bainite' from Cambridge University. It was developed by Cambridge University with collaboration with QinetiQ,

"Due to the unique process by which we have developed this new armour, Super Bainite is able to match the ballistic performance of the best off-shore armour steels at reduced cost."

That means only one company can make 'Super Bainite' for the time being.

 

[veekysingh]

TATA always have made India feel proud. Now lets see if al-khongress gov ask TATA's help in Indian defence or not.

 

[xuxu1457]

Corus and DSTL, University of Cambridge co-developed the Super Bainite for armored vehicles, then TATA pachased Corus company, UK Defense department tested the Super Brainete, but don't know whether Corus has the patent, most likely the patent in the hand of UK defense department

 

[Mujraparty]

The Ministry of Defence has signed a licensing agreement with Tata Steel to manufacture the steel in the UK.
The new material was invented and developed in the UK, with production earmarked to take place at Port Talbot in South Wales.

Super Bainite was invented by Professor Peter Brown, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Professor Harry Bhadeshia, Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at Cambridge University, and Dr Carlos Garcia-Mateo, previously at Cambridge University and currently at the National Centre for Metallurgical Research in Madrid.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-armour-steel-showcased-at-dsei

 

[Mujraparty]

The Ministry of Defence has signed a licensing agreement with Tata Steel to manufacture the steel in the UK.
The new material was invented and developed in the UK, with production earmarked to take place at Port Talbot in South Wales.

Super Bainite was invented by Professor Peter Brown, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Professor Harry Bhadeshia, Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at Cambridge University, and Dr Carlos Garcia-Mateo, previously at Cambridge University and currently at the National Centre for Metallurgical Research in Madrid.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-armour-steel-showcased-at-dsei

 

[anant_s]

Brother,
Bainite is a phase of steel obtained while cooling the the steel under controlled conditions to obtain Bainite structure. The steel mentioned here has a unique property of absorbing large amount of energy by deformation and hence used extensively in armour plating. Tata Steel has released a web article on their new product, but they are no means the only producers. Mittal Arcelor is also one of the producer.
If you have mechanical engineering background, i would suggest you read Material Science handbook by William F Smith to know more about Bainite phase.

 

[Sergi]

Great news TATA should use these in the armed vehicles they are offering to IA

 

[Mirza Jatt]

good news.