There is a new breakthrough in the "bottleneck" technology. What is the use of "hand-torn steel" that can be torn apart easily?

"Flat, thin, smooth, glossy and hard, as thin as paper, with a sound like a chime, and relying on high-tech, users all over the world are placing pre-orders." This is how CCTV comedian Zhu Guangquan described "Hand-Torn Steel".

▲Hand-torn steel

When it comes to steel, most people will think of keywords such as "heavy, tough, heavy industry", but you may not know that there is a kind of steel that is very thin, only one-fourth the thickness of A4 paper, and can even be torn into pieces by hand. We call it "hand-torn steel".

Recently, China Baowu Taigang Group has made new breakthroughs in the research and development of "hand-torn steel". After the thickness has increased from 0.02 mm to the limit of 0.015 mm, it continues to delve into and explore its performance and is about to create a new "coat" for aircraft.

▲The precision strip steel production workshop of Shanxi Taigang. We can't see many operators in the workshop because the machines and equipment are all automated operating systems.

This ultra-thin stainless steel is the core material of a special "jacket". It can be made into a new composite material that heats instantly and quickly de-ices the wings of aircraft. The successful wearing of this "jacket" can not only greatly reduce the energy consumption of the aircraft, but also greatly reduce the huge safety hazards caused by ice hanging in the air. This stainless steel is "hand-torn steel" rolled using a special process.

Leading the team's development is Wang Tianxiang, an outstanding engineer with a steely character who pursues perfection in every inch.

Wang Tianxiang, senior engineer of China Baowu Taigang Group Precision Strip Steel Company: It is the thinnest stainless steel in the world and can be widely used in my country's high-end manufacturing industry and military and aerospace fields. We have the right to set prices.

At present, the hand-tearable steel developed by Wang Tianxiang's team has a maximum thickness of only 0.015 mm. In addition to thickness, the flatness and smoothness of hand-tearable steel are also important evaluation criteria. The hand-tearable steel used on aircraft is not only thin, but also exhibits many excellent additional properties such as high strength, high hardness, and high resistance.

During the interview, the reporter learned that the price of one ton of conventional thin plate steel is 20,000 yuan/ton, while the price of 0.015 mm thick stainless steel produced by Taigang Precision Strip is as high as 2 million yuan/ton. Even though the price is high, it is still in short supply.

Wang Tianxiang, senior engineer of China Baowu Taigang Group Precision Strip Steel Company: Our hand-torn steel materials are in the leading position in the world. (This year) our market order volume is 1.6 times that of last year, especially the international order volume has increased significantly.

The reason behind the hot sales of hand-torn steel is the perseverance of Wang Tianxiang's team over the past decade. Before 2012, TISCO could only roll out steel plates with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The factory invited foreign experts for consultation, but they were told that they would never be able to produce ultra-thin wide precision strip steel. It was this sentence that deeply stimulated Wang Tianxiang. In the following years, he formed our own scientific research team. With his persistent and tenacious belief, he worked day and night for more than a thousand days, overcame 175 equipment problems, 452 process problems, and went through 711 tests, and reduced the thickness of 600 mm stainless steel precision foil to the limit of 0.015 mm. This broke the layers of technical barriers set by other countries. Today, China Baowu TISCO Group is the only company in the world that can mass-produce wide ultra-thin stainless steel precision strip steel.

Wang Tianxiang, senior engineer of China Baowu Taigang Group Precision Strip Steel Company: What foreigners can do well, we Chinese can definitely do well, and what foreigners cannot do, we Chinese will definitely do well.

Never stop is a steely belief engraved in Wang Tianxiang's bones. Until now, he still maintains a habit, no matter how busy he is, he will go to the rolling mill control room every day to check the operation status of the rolling mill that day and collect and organize the operation data. Whenever he encounters the production of new products and key materials required by the country, he will be in the operation room throughout the process, give instructions to the operators and personally test quality problems until the new material is successfully tackled.

Wang Tianxiang, senior engineer of China Baowu TISCO Precision Strip Steel Company: In the field of ultra-thin materials, the "bottleneck" link has restricted the development of our high-end fields. Our state-owned enterprises have shouldered the responsibility of being a "powerful weapon" of the country. This mission requires us to develop in this direction to continuously meet the needs of the country's high-end fields.

"Steel that has been tempered for hundreds of times has become soft and pliable", this is General Secretary Xi Jinping's praise for domestic "hand-tearable steel". On May 12, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the production workshop of Taigang Stainless Steel Precision Strip Co., Ltd. during his inspection and research in Shanxi. He pointed out that products and technology are the foundation of an enterprise. He hopes that the enterprise will continue to work hard and climb to new heights in scientific and technological innovation, and take new and greater steps in supporting the development of advanced manufacturing.

Using good steel on the "blade" and improving the quality of supply with technological innovation as the starting point are important experiences for Shanxi Taigang and even the entire steel industry to achieve unexpected growth. After experiencing the pain of de-capacity, the reason why my country's steel industry can withstand the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is not only due to the advantages of a complete industrial chain, but also due to the innovative cooperation of upstream and downstream enterprises. In the prevention and control of the epidemic, the sales of new products such as "hand-torn steel", high-quality bearing steel, and gear steel have risen against the trend, constantly meeting new user needs, stabilizing steel production capacity, and expanding market space, helping the steel industry to develop steadily and improve.

In the future, we will focus on improving the level of the entire industrial chain, continuously strengthen independent innovation, and improve the quality of the manufacturing supply system. We will definitely help Chinese manufacturing move towards the middle and high end of the global value chain.

Source: CCTV News Client, People's Daily, etc.