High-strength cold rolled steel strip for heavy-duty agricultural machinery

Whether combine harvesters, disc plows, rotary cultivators, or other agricultural equipment – the components of heavy-duty agricultural machinery require high-strength materials. At the same time, in many cases, the material used must exhibit optimal flatness and excellent formability. This is the case, for example, with the screw conveyors found in combine harvesters, which have an extremely complex shape. For all of these applications, Waelzholz’s Brazilian site offers the perfect steel materials.

Screw conveyors, which are installed in combine harvesters, for example, are used in the agricultural industry to transport bulk materials such as grain, seeds or animal feed. This rotating spiral is used to keep the bulk material moving within a trough or closed pipe. Daniel Augusto Ferro, materials engineer at Waelzholz Brasmetal, explains the challenge when it comes to these components: “The tricky part is that agricultural bulk materials are usually highly abrasive. In this context, the most important property of the spiral used is its resistance to wear, to ensure that the screw conveyor operates with minimal vibrations and can withstand the stresses of transporting the material. At the same time, it also increases the spirals’ service life. That’s why in our processes, we adjust the strength of the cold rolled steel strip precisely to the respective applications of our customers.”

High strength is only one aspect in the catalog of requirements specified by manufacturers of agricultural machinery and their suppliers, however. Ferro also explains this using the example of the spiral for screw conveyors: “To manufacture the spirals, the cold rolled steel strip is rolled or bent into the screw shape on conical cylinders. Tight thickness tolerances and excellent formability are essential to ensure that the spirals are uniform and have precisely the right spacing. We can achieve both extremely well with our materials.” And Thomas Frank, head of the Materials Technology Department at Waelzholz Brasmetal, adds another aspect that helps Waelzholz stand out in the agricultural machinery market: “We have the ability to supply high-strength material in extremely thin versions. This keeps the weight as low as possible – an important factor for agricultural machinery.”

“We supply cold rolled steel strip for a wide range of applications in the agricultural market. Our products are the first choice wherever a high level of wear resistance and excellent formability are required. But many manufacturers also require tight thickness and width tolerances and outstanding flatness – and we can customize these to their exact specifications,” explains Ferro.

The range of materials offered by Waelzholz is just as diverse as the manufacturers’ requirements. The technology leader offers high-strength steels for the screw conveyor mentioned before, as well as for other agricultural machinery components. Manufacturers of blades for cutting items such as cane sugar or grass, on the other hand, benefit from hardened and tempered steel strip or non-tempered steel materials, including in soft versions and, on request, with special alloys. As Frank explains: “We offer one of the most extensive ranges of materials in the cold rolling industry. This is how we can offer our customers the perfect combination of properties for their specific requirements.”