Hardox 450 is a new extra high-strength wear plate being used to develop a new concept of body construction for trucks and dumpers. Its special qualities make it possible to reduce the weight, give greater durability and increased operational safety. The steel is produced by SSAB Oxelösund and is part of the company’s new materials concept for vehicle manufacturers, Hardox in my body. The result is safer vehicles with stronger bodies.

Greater strength, improved stability, longer life and reduced weight: these are just some of the features stressed by SSAB Oxelösund as it launches its new materials concept for vehicle manufacturers and fleet owners - Hardox in my body. The concept is based on the new wear plate, Hardox 450, specially designed for vehicle load platforms and loading surfaces exposed to considerable wear. The steel can be produced over three metres in width and as thin as 4mm. This new wear plate allows entirely new structures of load body to be developed.

The material has been decisive in providing high durability and low weight, says Gianni Scantanburlo at Zorzi S.p.A of Italy. We have been able to leave out several beams, reinforcements and stiffeners normally required in this type of construction. The plate is really resistant and strong against impact forces and wear, while at the same time the body as a whole is flexible and pliable when subject to impact forces.

The high strength and toughness of the steel gives bodies real resistance to impact. Body construction provides an effective cushioning effect, absorbing much of the energy. The hardness of the material gives protection against continuous impact and wearing forces, even from boulder-sized rocks. Practical tests by SSAB Oxelösund have shown the steel to withstand impact from blocks weighing several tons when dropped from three metres onto a body of thin steel plate - without a mark or indentation!

Body construction with fewer stiffeners is really interesting, says Claes Löwgren at SSAB Oxelösund. Maximum use is made of the steel’s high strength via its in-built resilience. Together with the qualities possessed by the steel in the form of longer life-span, increased load capacity and increased safety, body constructors also have real arguments in favour of greater profitability for fleet owners. Several of our customers have made calculations on their constructions and are now changing from Hardox 400, one of the most wear-resistant steels on the market, to Hardox 450 - an even stronger steel.

The Hardox in my body concept is based on Hardox 450 steel and is being launched globally this spring. The steel is being rolled to the required width and thickness in the company’s new rolling mill, which is now working at full capacity.