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By Alessandro Marques

Based on a short overview regarding steel defects in the final product, several refractory approaches to maintain or increase steel cleanliness are reviewed in this publication. By applying a ladle to mold approach, one potential to maintain cleanliness is to reduce the probability of air ingress by selection of a suitable slide gate system. Following this path, also the influence of a special configured impact pot is presented to maintain steel quality. Finally, higher productivity as well as cleanliness can be provided by selection of PROIL as a revolutionary product at the casting machine.

Oct 30, 2017

By Günther Staudinger

Danieli Linz Technology has been honored at 4.1.2013 with the first contract for the exchange of a 350 t BOF converter for ArcelorMittal Poland Dabrowa Gornicza on a turnkey basis. This paper describes the new design features of this converter based on the development of a new Danieli converter suspension system. The issue was to install a new converter (incl. trunnion ring, suspension system and bearings) with maximum volume but keeping most of the existing equipment unchanged. So, the big tilting drives on both sides had to be reused and the existing foundation, pedestals as well as the bearing distance had to be maintained. Further on the welded coreequipment (vessel shell, trunnion ring, pedestals, slag shields, etc.) was manufactured in-house within the pressure vessel division of Danieli Thailand. Due to the huge dimensions of these parts the delivery had to take place in parts which had to be welded together on site under full production conditions of the steel plant. But also the erection had to be applied under this condition. Additionally the main support bearings, parts of the screening (doghouse) as well as an upgrade of the existing relining machine had to be delivered.

Jul 29, 2018

By Andrea Zanon

Slitting processes have been used for many years to increase the productivity of smaller diameter deformed bars, without making major investments in the rolling mill. This technology is used mainly for the production of reinforcing bars (7-20 mm diameter), but successful applications exist also for round bar production. The multi-slitting process enables to produce up to 5 bars starting from one billet, thus increasing the productivity of the smaller products. Danieli Morgårdshammar, world leader in the supply of rolling mills for long products, has been a front-runner in slitting technology since its first applications and has recently developed, first in the world, the technology to produce 5X8mm rebar. This process has been recently applied in BRSM steel, a company based in Bangladesh which is a worldwide benchmark for slitting technology performances. This paper presents the necessary modifications which need to be considered when developing a 5-strand slitting project (and multi-strand slitting projects in general), as well as the results obtained at BSRM Steel when the process was implemented in 2016, the first rolling mill in the world rolling 5X8 mm slit rebars.

Oct 30, 2017

By Karl Berger

Today we are talking about Industry 4.0, as the latest revolution of industrial processes and progress, considering that the steam engine (Industry 1.0), railways and cars, mass production in the 1920th (2.0), Industrial Automation (3.0), and finally integrated manufacturing, integrated communication, and internet (4.0) can be seen as the state-of-the-art situation in industry, nowadays. Similar to the Industry progress, we can approach the rolling process of material, which started about 150 years ago in a very basic way. Steam engine- and belt driven-mills were very operators’ intensive, brutal and risky to operate. Mechanical improvements brought throughput, safety and quantity, as also quality of the products. The rolling of steel, in particular of rails, beams, rebar, strip (focus in this paper) and plate has enabled the large scale transport and travel, the building of bridges and buildings, the manufacturing of ships and cars. From single stands to continuous rolling trains the production and quality of mills increased significantly. From ingots and blooms to slabs, we have to admit a big jump in which has changed the face of the world significantly. Thin Slab Rolling has revolutionized the output and the throughput of rolling mills (Generation 3.0 to 5.0). Finally, Endless Rolling, has boosted the quality and quantity of rolling mill processes and permitted nowadays to enter in market niches which were not thinkable a decade ago. Mastering the automation and applying reliable systems (mechanical and electronically) of drives, actuators and sensors, as also communication and information interchange to all levels of automation are the success factors of such complex mills, we call herein after “Rolling Mills of Generation 6.0”.

Aug 16, 2017

By Francisco Morganti

Weight reduction is the main target of all carmakers, which results in a continuous development of new steel grades. Latest 3rdgeneration advanced high-strength steel grades (AHSS) are complex materials with special chemical compositions and multiphase microstructures. The pickling, annealing and galvanizing processes of these grades aresomewhatdifferent due to the changed chemical compositions and microstructures. Therefore, these innovative steel grades place new demands on the plant technology of pickling, annealing and galvanizing lines. The most significant challenges for the pickling process are sludge occurrence during pickling, varying pickling times, weld ability of the materials, changed visual appearance and required high surface qualities. The most important topic concerning annealing line is a precisely controlled and very flexible heating and cooling process in the furnace.One of the new requirements in galvanizing linesis the prevention of surface faults caused by bare spots, which can occur since these materials feature a higher content of alloying elements like silicon or manganese. Prevention is possible with the special pre-oxidation technologies.Due to the higher strength of the material also the mechanical equipment has to be designed differently in these lines. This paper describes the influences of the changed chemical composition and material characteristics of modern steel grades on the pickling, annealing and galvanizing process and gives an overview about the technical solutions.

Oct 30, 2017

By Baltus Cornelius Bonse

Foi desenvolvido um composto de elastômeros termorrígido (ebonite) para a fabricação de um selo mecânico de vedação de hélices de barcos, para substituir os modelos comumente encontrados de cerâmico, que possuem alto custo e são fabricados no exterior, e de borracha com face em Teflon®, que apresentam problemas de adesão na linha de junção entre estes materiais, resultando em vazamentos. O composto de elastômeros deveria possuir dureza em torno de 90 Shore D, baixo coeficiente de atrito, resistência térmica, a abrasão e a intempéries marítimas, ao ataque de radiação UV e ser autolubrificante. A formulação que resultou no melhor produto consistia das borrachas natural, nitrílica, nitrílica carboxilada, e fluorada (Viton®), aditivadas com alto teor de enxofre (37,5 phr), cargas reforçantes, plastificantes e lubrificantes sólidos, entre outros aditivos. A aditivação e mistura das borrachas foram realizadas em misturador interno Banbury e misturador de cilindros aberto, enquanto a conformação e vulcanização dos corpos de prova e dos selos foram realizadas por prensagem a quente. Foram realizadas análises de curva reométrica, morfológicas por microscopia eletrônica de varredura, de resistência à tração, rasgo, dureza e de abrasão em torno mecânico simulando a pressão de vedação em atrito com o aço inox girando a 800 rpm. O êxito do selo ficou evidente, pois após a montagem em barcos, durante um ano tem realizado com sucesso a sua função.

Aug 8, 2018

By Alessandro Molinari

In recent times, coke oven machines are acquiring a more prominent role in the coke making process. Apart from the traditional handling of the coal and coke flow, nowadays these machines are also deeply involved in all environmental and process control aspects. Paul Wurth coke oven machines have been developed by Schalke to meet the most recent requirements in terms of emissions control, automation, instrumentation, operability and maintainability. In CSP, Ceará, the new coke making plant represents the status of the art of the technologies applied to the whole coking process; starting from the Coke Oven Batteries and the Gas Treatment Plant developed by Paul Wurth up to the Coke Machines supplied by Schalker Eisenhütte, whose technology is now part of Paul Wurth coke making products portfolio. Present paper describes the plant configuration focusing on Coke Oven Machines and the key factors which are guarantying the success of the project.

Aug 16, 2017

By Antonio Fabiano de Oliveira

Estudos de laminação com revestimento de cromo e influência nas propriedades foram realizados com o objetivo de aumentar a produtividade dos cilindros. Para tal, foram utilizados cilindros cromados para laminação de chapas de cobre, com amostragem da técnica de réplica epoxy. A compreensão da correlação entre microestrutura e propriedades do material é objeto de grande interesse e, ao mesmo tempo, necessário para aplicação prática na laminação a frio, combinando revestimento e produtividade. O objetivo da pesquisa atual é comparar as propriedades tribológicas do cobre antes e depois da laminação, no cilindro de trabalho e chapa, com e sem revestimento de cromo.

Oct 30, 2017

By Deusdedit Motta, Marcos de Oliveira Fonseca, Marlon Rosa de Gouvea

A Transformação Digital é a palavra de ordem em todo o mercado mundial e na indústria não é diferente, principalmente no que se refere à Gestão de Ativos de produção. Dentre as diversas técnicas de Analítica Preditiva disponíveis, algumas se destacam pela sua capacidade de facilmente aprenderem o comportamento dos ativos a partir dos dados históricos, assim como monitorarem pequenos desvios que estejam relacionados aos mecanismos de falhas de interesse. O presente trabalho apresenta como estender uma das técnicas de Inteligência Artificial para Modelamento Baseado em Similaridade para aplicação em ativos que possuem uma dinâmica rápida de funcionamento ou de operação para seus estados estacionários. São demonstrados os resultados dessa abordagem em aplicações práticas que exemplificam como aumentar o resultado proporcionado por essa técnica na obtenção de ganhos para o desempenho dos ativos e resultados do negócio.

Oct 1, 2019

By Olívia Cristina Petriz Monteiro

A Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) possui uma Oficina de Manutenção Mecânica Central que fornece serviços de reparo, fabricação e manutenção de conjuntos mecânicos e componentes. A usinagem é um dos setores de maior demanda durante o reparo na Oficina e é considerada o grande gargalo entre as etapas de reparo/fabricação. Na busca por uma melhora na qualidade do atendimento e dos serviços prestados, o trabalho teve como objetivo identificar e implementar um novo sistema de medição para o Controle de Qualidade da Oficina Mecânica, reduzindo a demanda de inspeções dimensionais e geométricas para o setor de Usinagem. Com a compra dos instrumentos de medição tridimensional, o Laser Tracker e o Braço de Medição, foi possível aumentar a disponibilidade da usinagem, diminuir o tempo de inspeção de peças, acelerar o processo de decisão dos reparos, reduzir o tempo de entrega dos equipamentos, aumentar a confiabilidade das inspeções, além de e efetuar eventuais serviços de medição em campo.

Aug 8, 2018

By Peter Grawenhof

In steel mills universal joint shafts, slipper spindles and gear spindles are used to overcome the design- and process- related offset between the axis of the motors and the work rolls. At the roll side the available space for the couplings is limited by the minimum work roll diameter. This leads to extremely high loaded components of the universal couplings especially at the roll side joints. Furthermore modern steel mills continuously strive to roll larger plates and materials with increased strength. This requires drive solutions with even higher torque capacity. For these applications conventional design joints are not sufficient anymore. Even alternative solutions such as hybrid- or offset- designs fall short. Therefore the companies Voith and BUMA Engineering developed together the new GearLink drive concept in close cooperation with the Voestalpine Grobblech GmbH. A completely new combination of universal joints and gear couplings offers an up to now unique solution enabling the use of 1,35- times bigger joint with a 2,5- times higher torque capacity and a 20- times longer lifetime. The GearLink system was first time successfully taken into operation at Voestalpine Grobblech in December 2013 and is up to now working without issue.

Aug 16, 2017

By Douglas Glenn Stalheim

Hot strip structural steel coil used in construction, engineering, transport, structural applications and other applications are widely used in yield strengths from 300 – 700 MPa. However, structural design engineers are now not only requiring various strength levels but also other mechanical properties, primarily good formability, toughness and weldability. To produce a balanced approach to a cost effective structural steel, hot strip coil requires an understanding of utilization of an optimized alloy composition designed for the layout/equipment capabilities of a given hot strip mill to produce the desired metallurgy for optimum mechanical property performance. The term “cost effective” does not just focus on alloy design, but also ease of overall processing from steelmaking, casting, rolling and cooling, stable mechanical properties with a statistically normal distribution, no downgrades/rejections and a product that the end user recognizes as being superior to others. The desired metallurgy is simply understanding what will be the optimum microstructure and cross sectional grain size/distribution needed to meet the mechanical property requirements. This paper is a follow up paper that previously described optimum base alloy designs along with steelmaking/casting processing considerations and will focus on proper reheating, rolling and cooling metallurgy/processing strategies to produce quality cost effective hot strip structural steel coil.

Aug 17, 2017

By Nicolás Ariel Zabala

During the make-up and break-out of the connections, threaded joints are exposed to intense mechanical and tribological solicitations. The connection performance is influenced by its geometry, material properties, surface treatments and thread compound. The aim of this work is to evaluate and characterize the tribological behavior of different thread compounds applied on manganese phosphated carbon steel under low speed and high pressure sliding contact. Four thread compounds were evaluated: one containing lead, zinc and graphite; other lead-free, containing copper and finally, the last two lead-free and containing non-metallic solids. The tribological behavior was analyzed by a block-on-ring tribotest. During the test, load varied linearly between 250 N and 7000 N; loading and unloading lasted 14 sec and were performed in opposite directions of rotation to simulate the make-up and break-out operations. Friction force and load as a function of time were registered. Upon completion of the test, wear surfaces were analyzed by SEM, optical microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The obtained results show that the lead and zinc containing thread compound displayed the best behavior, showing a wear reduction of approximately 20%. These results are in line with previously known oilfield experience. Average COF values around 0.15 were measured and no significant differences between dopes were observed; indicating that the wear behavior was influenced by the additive package.

Jul 31, 2018

By Débora Ribeiro Lopes

A descoberta das grandes reservas de petróleo e gás ao longo da costa sudeste do Brasil representou um novo desafio tecnológico na história da indústria brasileira de petróleo. Entre as principais dificuldades pode-se citar: água ultra profunda, espesso leito de sal, alta pressão, baixa temperatura, ambiente muito corrosivo contendo contaminantes como o gás carbônico (CO2) e o sulfeto de hidrogênio (H2S). O objetivo deste trabalho é o estudo do comportamento eletroquímico de um aço inoxidável supermartensítico contendo cerca de 14% de cromo (Cr), em meio contendo 115.000 ppm de íons cloreto, 10 ppb de oxigênio dissolvido, com adição de 10-2 mol/L e 10-3 mol/L de tiossulfato de sódio. Para tal foram empregadas as técnicas de polarização anódica potenciodinâmica cíclica e microscopia ótica. Os resultados experimentais mostraram que ocorreu uma variação significativa na extensão da região de passivação quando tiossulfato de sódio foi adicionado ao meio, aumentando a susceptibilidade à corrosão por pites do material.

Jan 16, 2018

By Ulrich Sommers

The Intelligent Furnace (I-Furnace) by SMS group is a smart furnace process and production optimization model. The combination of various tools leads to an optimized heat treatment and production process. It combines a mathematical/physical model to control the furnace with EMG’s IMPOC system for online strength measurement and a newly developed annealing microstructure model to predict material properties. This paper reports about the revamping of an existing galvanizing line, where a mathematical/physical control model has been implemented in combination with an online quality measurement system. This way, the process improvement of continuous galvanizing lines and the quality management of a range of steels including AHSS will be demonstrated. Furthermore, it gives information about the development of the annealing microstructure model to predict material characteristics. Eventually, the I-Furnace will be presented according to the current development and reference status.

Oct 30, 2017

By Antônio Aldenor Pinheiro Neto, Matheus de Lima Vieira

In mid-2015 the steel industry faced a strong crisis due to the weak performance of the Brazilian economy and the persistent entry of Chinese steel into Brazilian territory. This situation demanded that Brazilian steelmakers seek to develop products to meet new export markets. within the volume of exports possible are the rebars, where its applications are in the construction industry. One of the largest importers is Peru which has a large percentage of this export volume. This market demands as a priority requirement the surface quality of blue condition (low oxidation index) and mechanical properties normative.in order to meet the items required by the customer at a competitive cost, a vanadium microalloyed steel was applied to the hot rolling process without heat treatment after the last rolling pass. Where the great challenge was to achieve a high level of stretching without compromising the minimum limits of tensile strength. Assuming that the steel used is the correct one interventions were made on rolling parameters such as set-point temperature, residence time of pieces in the furnace, linear mass and rolling speed. All the changes made were based on statistical tools and practical tests. Finally, with the execution of actions generated from the statistical analyzes and tests it was possible to reduce process losses by 96%.

Oct 1, 2019

By Haysler Apolinário Amoroso Lima

O desempenho de uma Aciaria depende da estabilidade dos equipamentos industriais. A conservação do refratário do convertedor garante produtividade, evitando paradas para reparo e campanhas antecipadas. A proteção do revestimento como um todo garante uma maior eficiência do sopro combinado, obtendo ganhos de qualidade e redução de ressopro. O presente trabalho refere-se à busca de soluções de engenharia para aumentar o desempenho do refratário dos convertedores e conservação do sopro combinado pelas ventaneiras. Através do estudo dos mecanismos de desgaste dos refratários, optou-se pelo ajuste dos escorificantes, melhoria das práticas de reparo com escória, mudança do projeto dos tijolos e ajuste da vazão das ventaneiras. Com as melhorias implantadas, houve redução do consumo de massa de projeção e aumento em 100% da vida útil das ventaneiras.

Jul 30, 2018

By Diego de Araujo Santana

O tamanho médio dos grãos é um parâmetro estrutural frequentemente estimado quando se está avaliando, principalmente, as propriedades mecânicas dos materiais metálicos. A American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) estabelece, nas normas ASTM E112 e ASTM E1382, metodologias para estimar o tamanho médio dos cristais de maneira manual e semiautomática/automática, respectivamente. O presente trabalho propõe, além de uma nova metodologia semiautomática, duas metodologias automáticas para estimar o tamanhão médio de grão em materiais metálicos policristalinos monofásicos, assim como um parâmetro para avaliar a morfologia dos grãos. O tamanho de grão G ASTM encontrado utilizando os novos procedimentos testados se apresentou muito próximo aos valores obtidos pelos métodos padronizados, que também foram aplicados e usados como referência para avaliação da representatividade das medidas. Desse modo, os métodos propostos se apresentam como uma alternativa viável para estimar o referido parâmetro estrutural dos materiais metálicos.

Aug 17, 2017

By Detlef Ehlert

Energy efficiency is coming to the center of attention in the metallurgical and rolling mill industry due to increasing energy costs, limited resources and political requirements. Also, a green image and energy efficient production is a clear competitive advantage. SMS Siemag, being familiar with automation and measurement equipment, provides an energy data management system which gives transparency over the energy consumptions. All energy relevant media including electricity, gas, water, compressed air and further more can be recorded. The system is manufacturer-independent and allows the use of already installed measuring technology with the possibility of subsequent extension. So potentials for improvement can be recognized and energy savings can be estimated and proven after the implementation of the measures. Being familiar with the processes in the metallurgical and rolling plants, the system by SMS Siemag allows the assignment of the energy data to the production and plant data. Only by this connection, the data can be reduced to key performance indicators allowing authoritative evaluation of energy efficiency. The results are clearly represented on dashboards and support the continuous improvement process. The system also supports the energy controlling with an automatic reporting system, cost center assignment and in support with certification according to ISO 50001.

Jul 30, 2018

By Alexandre de Freitas Gomes de Mendonça, Leonardo José Silva de Oliveira, Rodrigo Seara Martins, Rodrigo Madrona Dias

No lingotamento contínuo, o pó fluxante é responsável pela formação de uma escória líquida no molde que formará um filme de escória entre a placa de cobre e a pele solidificada. As principais funções do filme são lubrificar e moderar o fluxo térmico no molde. Em particular, para aços com tendência ao agarramento, objetiva-se uma escória que potencialize uma extração térmica mais intensa em relação às escórias aplicadas em aços com tendência à depressão. O índice de basicidade do pó fluxante é o parâmetro que afeta diretamente a resistência térmica do filme de escória e, por consequência, a espessura da pele solidificada na saída do molde. Com o trabalho investigativo das melhores práticas, reduziu-se o índice de basicidade em 16,8% dos pós fluxantes aplicados em aços ultra baixo carbono obtendo um aumento de até 10,1% no fluxo de calor no molde. Além do aumento na espessura da pele solidificada, esse resultado também influenciou na estabilidade do nível de aço do molde e na qualidade superficial de placa.

Oct 1, 2019