When working with any steel, but in particular wear resistant steels, it is imperative that you know the grain direction of the plate.

A steel plate’s grain direction comes from the mill’s rolling process, which stretches the metallurgical structure of the material. The grains run parallel to the rolling direction.

Why is Grain Direction So Important?

Forming or bending “with the grain” requires less force because the materials ductility is already stretched. Bending causes the grains to spread even more which in turn, causes cracking on the outside radius of the bend. Therefore, it is imperative when forming any steel, but in particular for very hard wear resistant steels, to know the grain direction and always bend it perpendicular to the grain.

Most Wear Steels Require Pre-Heating Before Bending

Most wear steels also require some pre-heating before bending and the bending radius is limited. However, pre-heating softens the steel and alters the chemistry. A moderate bending radius is required to limit cracking.

How Does ENDURA Compare to Other Wear Resistant Steels?

ENDURA and ENDURA DUAL with titanium carbides requires NO PRE-HEATING BEFORE BENDING. The absence of pre-heating ensures the structural integrity and chemistry is maintained.

Equally as important, ENDURA can maintain a tighter bending radius of 5 times the thickness. Other wear steels can only be formed up to 7 times thickness. Wear steels over 500 BHN are not recommended for any bending.

Is ENDURA the Right Wear Resistant Steel for Your Project?

ENDURA’s advantages in forming and bending are the result of the chemistry, heat treatment and most important, quenching in oil vs water. This results in a very homogeneous microstructure and a wear plate that can be formed more easily than other wear resistant steels.

Additionally, at Titus Steel, we are careful to mark grain direction if our customers are going to be forming any of our steels.

Find out more about our patented ENDURA and ENDURA DUAL wear resistant steel or contact us today so we can help you select the perfect steel for your project.