Salem Steel Ltd. (SSL) has successfully developed and processed aerospace grade stainless steel slabs for ISRO on a trial basis.
“For the first time, we have indigenously developed and processed the aerospace grade stainless steel in Salem. The steel slabs were provided by ISRO. The end result was development of import-substitute exotic Russian grade (ICSS-1218) slabs that are used in the construction of the rocket launch vehicles. It will be shipped to ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) soon,” said a Salem Steel official.
Taking the help of ISRO scientists, a SAIL team processed electro-slag re-melted (ESR) and forged slabs. The final product conforms to ICSS-1218 that is equivalent to SS 321 grade stainless steel slabs.
“We have been regularly processing stainless steelfor various satellite launch vehicles, including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles that carried the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions into the space,” he said.
Another official said that the culmination of the three-month trial processing of 321 grade stainless steel laid the foundation for a sustained collaborative ‘Make in India’ initiative between SAIL and ISRO for developing and processing other aerospace grades for the space launch vehicle components.
