What is TMT?

Thermo mechanically treated (TMT) steel, can be described as a newgeneration-high-strength

steel

having

superior

properties

such

as

weldability, strength, ductility and tensility, which meet the highest

international quality standards.
Features:
Resists fire: Withstands temperatures up to 5,000C.
Resists corrosion: The TMT process gives the bar superior strength and
anti-corrosive properties.
Earthquake resistance: The soft ferrite-pearlite core enables the bar to
bear dynamic and seismic loading.
Malleability: TMT bars are most preferred because of their flexible nature
Enables welding: They have fine welding features.
Bonding strength: External ribs running across the entire length of the
TMT bar give superior bonding strength between the bar and the concrete.
Cost-effective: A high tensile strength and better elongation value gives
you great savings
How TMT steel is prepared:
Under thermo mechanical treatment, the steel bars are passed through a
specially designed water-cooling system where they are kept till the outer
surface of the bars becomes colder while the core remains hot. This
creates a temperature gradient in the bars.
When the bars are taken out of the cooling system, the heat flows from
the core to the outer surface, further tempering of the bars, which helps
them attain higher yield strength. The resulting heat-treated structure
imparts superior strength and toughness to the bars. The microstructure
of the core is a very fine-grained ferrite and pearlite. TMT bars are also

known as 'quenched and tempered rebars', because of the quenching and

tempering processes involved in making the bars.

The production of quality TMT bar depends on three major factors - quality
raw materials, a properly designed and automated mill, and a welldesigned quenching and tempering technology. All rebars must be
purchased based on the properties of yield strength, tensile strength and
elongation values.
Deciding the percentage of carbon content in steel has been a major
challenge for engineers. While a minimum level of carbon content in steel
is essential to achieve the required strength, excess carbon threatens its
weldability. In TMT bars, this problem has been eliminated by restricting
the carbon content to 0.2 per cent to attain weldability and ensuring that
its strength is not lost. The joints can be welded by ordinary electrodes
and no extra precautions are required.
The bars come in different lengths, in sizes of 11 to 12 metres and can be
customised to the required specifications. TMT bars that have uniform and
concentrated hardened periphery and the softer core will have the desired
tensile strengths coupled with high elongation as required in seismic
zones. Depending on the size and grade, rebars with hardened periphery
of about 15 to 30 per cent of the cross sectional area of the bar are ideal
for civil constructions (constructions of houses, offices, etc.)