Workshop

Recommendations

This leaflet contains general suggestions and calculation models. SSAB does hereby expressly exclude any liability whatsoever for their suitability for individual applications. It is the
responsibilty of the user of the manual to adapt the recommendations contained herein to
the requirements of individual applications.
Project manager marketing Johan Lundin, Technical advisors Mikael Ringholm, Per Hansson

CUTTING RECOMMENDATIONS
Protection plates manufactured by SSAB have lean chemical compositions. This simplifies the cutting process.
However, to get the best cut quality, Armox should be cut under controlled conditions as described below.

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox
Advance

Recommended cutting method

Abrasive waterjet

Up to 15 mm

Up to 25 mm

Up to 15 mm

Up to 10 mm

Plasma
Laser
Abrasive disc
Abrasive waterjet
Laser

15 - 25 mm

25 - 35 mm

15 - 25 mm

10 -20 mm

Gas cutting at reduced speed

Gas cutting plus preheating to 170 +- 30C
Abrasive disc
Abrasive waterjet

40 - 60 mm

25 - 35 mm

40 - 60 mm

20 - 30 mm

Above 60 mm

Above 35 mm

Above 60 mm

Above 30 mm

Up to 7 mm

Gas cutting plus preheating to 170 +- 30C

plus keep warm for 4 hours at 160 +- 40C
Abrasive disc
Abrasive waterjet
Abrasive disc

ABRASIVE WATERJET

GAS CUTTING

This process can be applied to the complete range of high-hardness Armox plate,
and is recommended as the best method,
because the absence of HAZ eliminates
the risk of cracking.

This process can be applied to high-hardness Armox plate up to 80 mm thickness.

It generates a kerf of 2-5 mm and a HAZ
which is usually 4-10 mm wide.

LASER CUTTING
High-hardness Armox plate up to around
20 mm thickness can be cut using this
process. It generates a narrow kerf, usually less than 1 mm, and a narrow HAZ,
usually less than 3 mm.

PLASMA CUTTING
High-hardness Armox plate up to around
25 mm thickness can be cut using this
process. It generates a kerf, usually 3-4
mm, and a HAZ up to 5 mm. Plasma cutting can be performed under water, which
minimizes the amount of distortion.

ABRASIVE DISC
This process is usually applied to the cutting of tube and rod
but can also be adopted for straight line cutting of the complete
range of high-hardness Armox plate. The kerf is the thickness
of the disc, with little or no HAZ.

Uncontrolled gas cutting of high-hardness armour plate may result in hydrogen

cracking (also called cold cracking) which
may occur in thicknesses above 20-30 mm.
The thicker the plate, the higher the cracksensitivity.
The most effective technique to avoid cracking during and after cutting is to preheat the plate and then keep the cut parts
warm afterwords.
Preheating consists of bringing the whole plate, or at least a
100 mm wide area on either side of the future kerf, up to a
specified minimum temperature before the process begins. This
can be done by using thermostatically controlled furnaces or,
in some cases, using gas burners to maintain the temperature
throughout the process.
The same equipment can be used to keep the profiles warm
for a specific time immediately following the cutting process.
In some instances, thick plate profiles that are not prone to
overheating can be cut at low speed, which obviates the need
for preheating.

WELDING RECOMMENDATIONS
SSAB manufactures protection plate with lean chemical compositions which simplify welding. Armox plates
should be welded with a consumable which produces a low hydrogen content in the weld metal. Good results
require that hydrogen, which can induce cold cracking, is kept away from the weld area. Armox plates can be
welded by any conventional welding method. All Armox grades can be welded to other weldable steel.

The temperature should be maintained throughout the entire

weld operation, tack welding and root passes included.

EDGE PREPARATION
A good fit between the work pieces is essential to minimize
stresses and thereby the risk of cracking. All types of impurities on and near the edges, such as mill scale, rust, oil, paint
and moisture, should be removed before welding.

Armox plates have been developed to have as low carbon

equivalent as possible without loss in hardness, strength and
ballistic properties. Typical carbon equivalents are shown in
the table below.

TACK WELDING
During tack welding the cooling rate is more rapid which
increases the risk of cold cracking. In areas of high restraint the
minimum length of each tack weld should be 50 mm to prevent
hydrogen cracking.

Steel grade

Thickness range

Carbon equivalent1

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

3150 mm

0.670.75 2

PREHEAT TEMPERARATURES

Armox 440T

430 mm

0.680.72

If austenitic consumables are used, the plate should be welded

at least at room temperature (1825C). But when welding
plates thicker than 30 mm, in combination with high levels of
restraint, preheating is recommended.

Armox 500T

3115 mm

0.670.75 2

Armox 600T

420 mm

0.85 2

Armox Advance

57 mm

0.95

1) Carbon equivalent (CEV)

in accordance to IIW:

If unalloyed or low-alloyed consumables are used preheating is

necessary and dependent on plate thickness and restraint conditions.

C + Mn + Cr + Mo + V + Cu + Ni
6
5
15

2) For plate thicknesses >80 mm, please contact SSAB

Minimum recommended preheat and interpass temperatures for different plate thicknesses (mm)
Thickness 3
Armox 370 T Class 1
Armox 370 T Class 2

3-80 mm
3-150 mm

10
125C
50C

Armox 440 T

4-30 mm

Armox 500 T

3-140 mm

Armox 600 T

4-20 mm

150C
75C

125C

20

30

175C

100C 125C

40

50

200C

60

70

80

140

100C + austenitic

150C

150C 175C

200C

100C + austenitic
100C + austenitic

Armox Advance

5-7 mm

Measure the preheat

temperature here

Maximum recommended preheat/interpass temperatures

Armox 370 T
Armox 370 T Class 2

400C

Armox 440 T

200C

Armox 500 T

200C

Armox 600 T

180C

Armox Advance

150C

Measure the temperature of the thickest

plate in the joint. If the plate is 25 mm thick,
measure the temperature 2 minutes after
heating. If the plate is 12.5 mm thick, measure the temperature after 1 minute, etc.
The interpass temperature can be measured in the weld metal or in the immediately
adjacent parent metal.

75 mm

Intended
weld joint

150

Welding can be carried out directly on the excellent primer,

due to its low zinc content. The primer can easily be brushed
or ground away in the area around the joint. Removing the
primer prior to welding can be beneficial, as it can minimize
the porosity in the weld and can facilitate welding in positions
other than the horizontal.

The table on the previous page is applicable to single plate

thickness when welding with a heat input of 1.7 kJ / mm. If the
ambient humidity is high or the temperature is below +5 C,
the lowest recommended preheat temperatures given should be
increased by 25 C. This also applies to firmly clamped weld
joints and if the heat input is 1.0-1.6 kJ / mm. Preheat temperatures for heat inputs lower than 1.0 kJ /mm can be determined
by an applicable standard for high strength steels. One example is method B in European Norm EN 1011-2.
The lowest recommended preheat and interpass temperatures
in the chart on the previous page are not affected at heat inputs
higher than 1.7 kJ / mm.

position the welds in low stress areas. Select the consumables

which produce the lowest possible level of hydrogen in the
weld metal for the given weld process.

CHOICE AND HANDLING OF CONSUMABLES

The hydrogen content should be lower than or equal to 5 ml

of hydrogen per 100 g of weld metal when welding with unalloyed or low-alloyed welding consumables. Solid wires used
in MAG and TIG welding can produce these low hydrogen
contents in the weld metal. The hydrogen content for other
types of welding consumables can best be obtained from the
respective manufacturer.

Consumables should be selected on the basis of strength and

toughness requirements in the joint. We recommendend soft
consumables with a yield strength of up to 500 MPa.
In order to achieve an optimum combination of strength and
toughness in the welded joint, select a consumable with as low
strength as possible, but which still fulfils the strength requirements for the joint. Using low-strength consumables can offer
several benefits, such as higher toughness of the weld metal,
higher resistance to hydrogen cracking and lower residual
stresses in the joint. Designers should therefore attempt to

Unalloyed or low-alloyed consumables

EN 499 xxx H5
AWS: A 5.18-93 ER70S-6 E7018-1
AWS: A 5.28-79 ER80S-G

Austenitic consumables
EN 1600 E 18 8 Mn
AWS A/SFA 5.4-92 E 307-15
AWS A5.22 E 307 LT-2

OK 48.08, OK Femax 38.65

OK 55.00

OK 67.45
OK 67.52

Filarc 35
Filarc 56 S

Filarc BM 307

OERLIKON

Special
Supercord S

COMET 307
SAFDRY R 307

THYSSEN

Phoenix 120 K
SH Grn K52W

THERMANIT X

OK Autrod 12.51
OK Tubrod 15.00

OK Autrod 16.95
OK Tubrod 14.36

Filarc PZ 6000
Filarc PZ 6130

Filarc PZ 6070
Filarc PZ 6470

OERLIKON

FLUXOFIL 40
Carbofil 100

NERTALIC 51
SAFDUAL 651

THYSSEN

TG 50 B
Union K52

THERMANIT X

Manufacturer

ELECTRODES

ESAB

FILARC

ESAB

WIRES

If consumables are stored in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations, the hydrogen content will be maintained at the intended level. This applies, above all, to coated
consumables and fluxes.

FILARC

BENDING RECOMMENDATIONS
This section deals with free bending, although roll bending can obviously also be employed. The bending results are dependent on a number of factors which we have grouped under three headings: the plate, the tools
and the procedure. These factors are discussed on page 11, where a couple of examples also are given.

Bending transverse to
the final direction of rolling

Bending line
Grind away any blemishes before
bending. Sheared edges should
also be grinded.

b
Final rolling direction.
The plate identity
is always stamped
transverse to the final
direction of rolling.

R
t

The edges of the die opening should always be as hard as or

harder than the plate being bent, in order to avoid damage to
the die.
To avoid plate surface damage, mill grooves in the die edges and
fit lubricated round rods into the grooves.
The die edge radius should be at least half the plate thickness.

The die opening angle must allow for springback of the plate. As
an example, if Armox 500 shall be bent to an angle of 90, the die
opening angle should not exceed 70 (see table).

Minimum recommended punch radius (R) and die opening width (W) for plate thickness (t) when the plate is bent to 90 parallell to the final rolling
direction and transverse to the final direction of rolling and also the corresponding springback.
Thickness
[mm]

Transverse
R/t

Parallell
R/t

Transverse
W/t

Parallell
W/t

Springback
[]

Armox 370T CL1 & CL2

t<8
8-15
>-15

3.0
4.0
5.0

3.5
5.0
6.0

9
10
12

10.5
11
13

9-13

Armox 440

t<8
8-15
>-15

4.0
5.0
6.0

5.0
6.0
7.0

10
10
12

10
12
14

11-18

Armox 500T

t<8
8-15
>-15

5.0
6.0
7.0

5.0
6.0
9.0

10
12
16

12
14
18

12-20

Armox 600T & Advance

Contact SSAB

THE PLATE

creased, the bending force and impression marks will admittedly be reduced, but at the expense of increased springback.

Steel grade
Note that the bending force and springback increase with the
plate strength. The top tool radius should also be increased
when increasing the plate hardness.

Note that the opening angle must be so small that it will

allow a sufficient amount of over-bending. Note that in roll
bending, the springback will be much larger than the tabulated values.

Plate surface
Our recommendations apply to shotblasted and anti-corrosion
painted plate. Surface damage and rust which is under tension
during bending may greatly reduce the bendability. In critical
cases, such defects must be ground away.

BENDING PROCEDURE
Friction
The die edges must be clean and undamaged. The bending
force needed and the risk of cracking can be reduced by
using round rods free to rotate as die edges and/or by
lubricating the die edges.

Plate edges
Cut and sheared edges should be deburred and rounded with a
grinder.

Bending angle
Note that the bending angle has less effect on the force
needed and the springback than the die opening width and
steel grade. Springback can be compensated by over-bending
by the same number of degrees.

Plate thickness (t)

As a general rule, thinner plate can be bent to smaller radii.

Final rolling direction

Bending force (P)

The plate can be bent to a smaller radius transverse to the

final rolling direction than bending parallell to the final rolling direction.

The bending force necessary can be estimated using the

formula below. The force is obtained with an accuracy of
20%, provided that all dimensions used are in mm. For
symbols used, see figure on page 9.

Bend length (b)

If the bend length is less than 10 times the plate thickness,
the plate can often be bent to a smaller radius than the values
given in table below.

P=

P [ton]: Bending force

b [mm]: Bending length
t [mm]: Thickness
Rm [MPa]: Tensile strength
w [mm]: Die opening width

1,6 x b x t2 x Rm
10000 x w

THE TOOLS
Punch radius (R)

If the radius of the punch used for bending is much larger

than that specified in the table on page 9, the force needed
may be higher than the value obtained from the formula, unless the die opening width is increased correspondingly.

Choosing the right punch radius is the most important factor

when bending Armox. A punch radius which is equal to or
somewhat larger than the required bending radius is recommended.

Die opening width (W)

The table (on page 9) specifies the minimum recommended
die opening for minimizing the springback. If the width is in-

Hardness
[HBW]

Tensile strength Rm
[MPa]

Elongation A5
[%]

180

550

28

Armox 370T CL1 & CL2

380-430

1200

11

Armox 440

420-480

1400

10

Armox 500T

480-540

1600

S 355 acc to EN10025

Armox 600T
Armox Advance

570-640

2000

58-63 HRC

>2000

<7

Care should be taken

during all bending due
to the high strength of the
plate and the high bending
force necessary.

MACHINING RECOMMENDATIONS
Drilling can be performed using high-speed steel drills or cemented carbide drills. When drilling in Armox with
HSS drills in radial/column drilling machines the first choice is a HSS-Co 8% drill with a small helix angle. For
individual holes you can use an ordinary HSS drill.
Advice for reducing vibrations and increasing the drill life length:

Minimize the distance between the column and the drill

as well as the drill tip and the workpiece
Dont use longer drill than necessary
Always use metal supports
Clamp securely

Solid and firm table

Use coolant
Just before the break through, disengage the feed rate
for about a second and re-engage when the play and/or
springback have ceased to avoid snapping the drill tip.

HSS-drill
Armox 370T CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

~9

~7

~5

VC [m/min]
DC [mm]

Feed rate [mm/rev] and speed [RPM]

0.05 / 575

0.05 / 445

0.05 / 320

10

0.10 / 285

0.09 / 220

0.08 / 130

20

0.23 / 145

0.20 / 110

0.18 / 65

30

0.35 / 95

0.30 / 75

0.25 / 45

DRILLING RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN THE MACHINE CONDITIONS ARE GOOD

Solid cemented carbide drill

Cutting speed. VC [m/min]

Feed rate, fn [mm/rev]

Armox 370T CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox Advance

35 - 45

30 - 40

25 - 35

20 - 30

0.1 - 0.15

0.1 - 0.15

0.08 - 0.12

0.06 - 0.1

Brazed cemented carbide drill

Cutting speed, VC [m/min]

Feed rate, fn [mm/rev]

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox Advance

35 - 45

30 - 40

20 - 30

20 - 30

0.10 - 0.15

0.1 - 0.15

0.08 - 0.12

0.07 - 0.12

Indexable insert drill

Cutting speed, VC [m/min]

Feed rate, fn [mm/rev]

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox Advance

60 - 80

50 - 70

40 - 60

30 - 40

0.06 - 0.14

0.06 - 0.14

0.06 - 0.12

0.05 - 0.1

COUNTERSINKING & COUNTERBORING

Countersinking/boring are best performed using tools which have replaceable inserts.
Always use a revolving pilot and use coolant.
Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox Advance

VC [m/min]

25 - 70

20 - 50

17 - 50

12 - 40

Feed rate [mm/rev]

0.10-0.20

0.10-0.20

0.10-0.20

0.10-0.20

DC [mm]

Speed [RPM]

19

420-1175

335-840

285-840

201-670

24

330-930

265-665

225-665

151-531

34

235-655

185-470

160-470

112-375

42

190-530

150-380

130-380

91-303

57

140-390

110-280

95-280

67-223

* Reduce the cutting data with about 30 % in countersinking.

TAPPING
With use of correct tools all tapping/thread milling can be performed in all Armox grades. We
recommend four-flute taps which can withstand very high torque which occurs during tapping in
hard materials. If the available force is not critical, the drilled hole can be 3% larger than standard,
that will increase the lifetime of the tap.
Tap for blind
holes.
VC [m/min]

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox
Advance

~5

~3

~ 2.5

DC [mm]
M5

Tap for through

holes.

Feed rate [mm/rev] and speed [RPM]

320

190

160

M10

160

95

80

M16

100

60

50

M20

80

50

40

M24

65

40

30

M30

55

30

25

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

Armox 440T

Armox 500T

Armox 600T

Armox
Advance

THREAD MILLING

Cutting speed Vc [m/min] and feed rate [mm/rev]

VC

~ 50

~ 40

~ 30

~ 30

fn

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.03

* To manage thread milling, a CNC machine with minimum 3-axis is necessary and the thread should be made in two passes.

MILLING
To ensure rational production, milling cutters with cemented carbide inserts are recommended.

FACE MILLING
Coated CC

Cermet

Coated CC

Grade

P40 / C5

P25 / C6

P20 / C6-C7

K20 / C2

Conditions

unstable

average

stable

stable

0.1-0.2-0.3

0.1-0.2-0.3

0.1-0.2

0.07-0.12

Feed rate [fz]

Cutting speed, VC [m/min]

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

150-120-110

150-120

Armox 440T

150-120-110

150-120

Armox 500T

120-100

120-100

Armox 500T

120-100

120-100

Armox 600T

* 80-70

80-70

Armox Advance

* 80-70

80-70

* fz recommendation 0.07-0.12

Keep this in mind:

Position the cutter off-centre (as fig. to the left) to achive a

thicker chip at the entry and to avoid thick chip on the exit.
Centering the cutter (as fig. to the right) might also cause
vibrations.

Cutter diameter should be 20%-50% larger than the width

of cut, ae.
Always use down milling.

HSS-Co
Grade
Conditions
Feed rate [fz]

CC

TiCN

K10 / C3

K10 / C3

coated

uncoated

coated

insert

unstable

stable

stable

stable

0.02-0.10

0.02-0.20

0.05-0.15

0.03-0.09

P10 / C7

Cutting speed. Vc [m/min]

Armox 370T
CL1 & CL2

18

90

100

110-90

Armox 440T

18

90

100

110-90

Armox 500T

50

80

90-70

Armox 600

Armox Advance

10

SSAB has employees in over 45 countries and operates production facilities

in Sweden and the US. SSAB is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange,
Stockholm. www.ssab.com.

SSAB
Klarabergsviadukten 70, D6
SE- 101 21 Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone:+46 (8) 45 45 700
Email:armox@ssab.com

www.armoxplate.com

701-UK-Armox: WORKSHOP RECOMENDATIONS-V2-2011. Halledo. sterbergs & Srmlandstryck.

SSAB is a global leader in value added, high strength steel. SSAB offers products
developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger, lighter
and more sustainable world.