"SAIL Chhattisgarh Division Manufactures Special Rods for Mumbai Coastal Road Project"

The Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), an arm of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has made a significant contribution to the high-speed Mumbai coastal road project by developing a new product. This development came in response to a request from a contractor involved in the project, who expressed a desire for the wire rod mill to produce TMT Fe-550D wire rods during a visit to customer premises in Mumbai last month.

A senior official from SAIL mentioned, "A new product of TMT-8mm, Fe-550D was developed for the first time from an old WRM in C-Strand at SAIL-BSP." The introduction of this new product is expected to generate additional revenue for SAIL-BSP compared to the base grade Fe500D.

To create this innovative product, Steel Melting Shop III at BSP produced the necessary heat with a rich chemistry of carbon and manganese. The input billets, cast with this material, enabled the TMT bars to attain the required strength and optimum ductility within existing parameters. The production process involved close monitoring of rolling parameters, including furnace temperature, laying head temperature, water quenching parameters, and the number of hot turns at the ends of coils. Online samples of the first three coils were taken and subjected to mechanical testing.

The spokesperson from BSP explained, "The online results were a bit higher than the required value so few adjustments were done in quenching parameters. The developed quality was successfully rolled in C-Strand for the next two days to produce 1,477 tons of TMT Fe-550D with the required mechanical properties."

The Mumbai coastal road project is considered one of the prestigious road construction projects in India's financial capital. Once completed, this 8-lane road will stretch 29.20 kilometers along Mumbai's western coastline, connecting Marine Lines in the south to Kandivali in the north. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) awarded contracts for the project in four packages in October 2018, with Larsen and Toubro securing packages 1 and 4, and a joint venture between Hindustan Construction Company and Hyundai Development Company securing packages 2 and 3.

Upon completion, the coastal road is expected to accommodate approximately 130,000 vehicles daily and significantly reduce travel time between South Mumbai and the Western Suburbs, transforming a 2-hour journey into just 40 minutes. The first phase, currently under construction, spans 10.58 kilometers from the Princess Street flyover to the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, while the second phase, covering 19.22 kilometers, will connect the Bandra end of the BWSL to Kandivali.

BS