For passenger, freight, metro or light rail transit and metro systems, stainless steel carries the load effortlessly. A wide variety of grades enhance safety, reduce weight and resist corrosion.

Lightweight and high strength

A strong, lightweight material is essential in passenger vehicles. Our high-strength Forta and Supra grades and ferritic Moda grades are often used, with the added value of long service life. Deco surface finishes add elegance and easy maintenance.

Benefits of using stainless steel in railway

Applications

  • Passenger rail systems
  • Light Rail and Metro systems
  • Freight vehicles

Performance 

  • Excellent formability and durability
  • Strong and lightweight
  • Long service life
  • Superior crash resistance and fire safety

Forta

The Forta range contains duplex, H-Series and temper rolled austenitic and ferritic stainless steels that enable thinner structures and weight reduction (measured in Rp0.2 > 350 MPa. PRE 16 - 43). 

Duplex (austenitic-ferritic) stainless steel combines many of the best properties of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels: high strength, good corrosion resistance and enhanced resistance to stress- corrosion cracking (Rp0.2 > 400 MPa. PRE 26 - 43).

Forta DX 2205 (EN 1.4462) is the most well-known duplex product, offering very good resistance to uniform and localized corrosion and stress- corrosion cracking in combination with high mechanical strength. Super duplex Forta SDX 2507 (EN 1.4410), with higher corrosion resistance and mechanical strength than Forta DX 2205, is often used in extremely corrosive environments such as desalination, chemical or offshore subsea applications.

H-series are manganese containing fully austenitic stainless steels with high strength and high ductility (Rp0.2 > 400 MPa. PRE  21). Forta H400 (EN 1.4376) with lower nickel content has higher strength than standard austenitic stainless steels 304/304L and is a cost-effective solution for automotive lightweight applications.

Forta H500 (EN 1.4678) has a fully austenitic and non-magnetizable microstructure with significant strain-hardening due to twinning. With a yield strength higher than 500 MPa, it is a perfect lightweight alternative for safety- relevant components in the automotive and transportation industry. 

Temper-rolled stainless steels have high strength and high hardness (Rp0.2 > 350 MPa. PRE 16 - 25). Temper rolling means a controlled additional cold rolling process that is applied to standard austenitic and ferritic stainless steels and it increases the strength and surface hardness of the steels. The strength classification includes yield strength classes from CP350 up to CP1100 MPa and tensile strength classes from C700 up to C1900 MPa.

Temper-rolled austenitic stainless steel Forta 301/4310 (EN 1.4310) can reach the highest strength class. Forta H800 (EN 1.4678) and Forta H1000 (EN 1.4678) are the temper-rolled condition of Forta H500 and still non-magnetic. They offer higher resistance for crash-relevant parts and a cost-effective and price-stable solution in the automotive industry. 

See the full list of Forta grades below

Recommended products

Forta
Supra
Moda
Deco

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