DMRL licenses high-nitrogen steel technology to Jindal Stainless

Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), Hyderabad, a premier research laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Wednesday signed a licensing agreement with Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited (JSHL) for transfer of technology of high nitrogen steel (HNS) for armour applications.

Speaking on the occasion, minister of state for defence, Subhash Bhamre, said the breakthrough technology for armour applications is a step forward towards Army's quest for lighter and high performance armouring material compared to the currently used materials. HNS has also the potential for a number of civilian applications and for exports as well.

Chairman DRDO and secretary Department of Defence (R&D) S Christopher complimented the scientists of DMRL for this achievement, which comes as a giant leap forward, towards DRDO's quest for stronger and high performance defence material. The transfer of technology from defence R&D to industry is aligned with the 'Make in India' policy to foster conducive environment for industry's potential growth in the strategic sectors, he added.

Abhyuday Jindal, vice chairman, JSHL, appreciated the team efforts of DRDO to come out with innovative solutions of HNS. He said that JSHL would be a major strategic defence partner in manufacturing of HNS.

Satish Chandra Sati, director general (Naval Systems & Materials), while addressing the gathering applauded the DMRL scientists for developing many varieties of steel, including HNS, which would be of great importance to the industry. Dr. S. Guruprasad, chief controller, R&D, in his welcome address stated that the HNS being a dream material for any researcher should find wide applications for the industry. DMRL has developed and established a number of frontline and path breaking technologies in the areas of metallurgy and material science.

HNS is not only tough but also has good strength. In addition to being non-magnetic as well as corrosion resistant, HNS costs about 40 per cent less compared to rolled homogenous armour steel (RHA). Very few countries in the world have developed the HNS technology. This material has potential for a number of defence and civil applications like armouring, mine trawls, oil industries, etc.

JSHL is a stainless steel manufacturer, with state-of-the-art facility at Hisar (Haryana), backed with strong production facilities including the triplex refining route, which is used for production of HNS.