How Are Steel Road Plates Manufactured?
Steel road plates are large, flat plates that provide a temporary surface for traffic to pass over while construction is underway. Steel road plates are commonly used to cover potholes, excavations, trenches, damaged pedestrian walkways, and roads under construction.
How Steel Road Plates Are Manufactured
Steel plates are made from high carbon steel, stainless steel, and other steel compositions, and they are manufactured in steel mills. The most common method used to make steel plates is by hot rolling. To do this, a steel slab is heated to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit and passed through a series of rollers. Each set of rollers makes the slab thinner until the desired thickness is achieved. Once the steel is the correct thickness, the plate is cooled to room temperature and cut to size or rolled into large coils.
Hot rolled steel is the cheapest type of steel available. However, cold rolled steel is another option. Cold rolled steel is created when a steel sheet that has previously been hot rolled is run through a second series of rollers without the addition of heat to create an even thinner sheet of steel. This added step accounts for the disparity in price between the two types of plates.
Steel road plates can be manufactured in a vast array of thicknesses and sizes to accommodate the needs of most roadway and construction projects. For large excavations, multiple steel plates can be welded together to create the dimensions needed. Plates can also be purchased in standard sizes, which are 1-inch to 2-inches thick and include dimensions such as 4×4, 4×6, 4×8, 4×10, 4×12, 4×16, 5×8, 5×10, 5×12, 5×16, 6×8, 6×10, 6×12, 6×16, 8×10, 8×12, 8×16, 8×20.
Though steel plates are often 1-inch to 2-inches in thickness, their desired thickness will depend on their applicaiton type. For steel road plates, road travel speeds above 45 miles per hour will require thicker plates, such as a 1.50-inch plate thickness.
Custom Options for Steel Road Plates
Steel plates are made of steel that is commonly at least one inch thick. They sometimes feature hardened threaded weld nuts and engineered lifting devices (such as lifting rings) for easy installation. Many plates come with a skid-resistant texture that’s applied to the surface to prevent vehicles from sliding on the steel, especially in wet conditions. Some manufacturers offer picking holes or welded-in lifting tools, depending on the need.
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