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By Leandro Seixas Bicalho, Raphael Alcantara da Costa, Pedro Martins de Almeida Rollo, Eduardo Tres, Anderson D. Thomazini

Usual pelletizing process requires the use of iron ore within a given range of particle size. The pelletizing plants often have comminution circuits composed of ball mills and roller presses to meet the granulometric parameters. Aiming at the partial removal of grinding operations and elimination of wet ore processing, the present study evaluated the pelletizing of two samples of ore with lower surface area: (1) sample with only one passage into the roller press (specific surface area of 997 cm²/g) and (2) “in natura” sample as fed to the pelletizing plant (specific surface area of 450 cm²/g). These experiments were conducted with the use of bentonite and the products E/PE MIN 070/19 and E/PE MIN 090/19, made available by Clariant for this purpose. The results indicated that conventional bentonite is not efficient for coarse particle agglomeration. On the other hand, the products E/PE MIN 070/19 and E/PE MIN 090/19 achieved good performance. Considering a sample with only one passage into the roller press it was possible to form pellets similar to those produced in the conventional process.

Oct 1, 2019

By Larissa Agrizzi Ronqueti

The effect of coiling temperature on selective oxidation behaviour of binary and ternary iron-based model alloys containing different contents of Si or Mn were investigated by SEM and SIMS. The experiments were carried out with a temperature ranging from 450 °C to 700 °C, under N2-5%H2 gas flow with a Dew Point of -3.3°C, for different durations. SEM images of binary iron-based model alloys revealed a decrease of grain boundary oxidation depth with increasing Silicon or Manganese content. At 530°C and 600°C SIMS results showed no Silicon diffusion toward surface, contrary to the results analyzed for Fe-x%Mn. Tests results and Wagner’s theory application (specific cases Fe-0.2%Si and Fe-0.5%Si) showed that grain boundary oxygen diffusion coefficient “DoGB” is almost 60 to 70 times faster than oxygen bulk diffusion coefficient. These results helped to broaden knowledge of single-element effects on grain boundary oxidation, in addition, will contribute of the future works in new steels with complex alloy compositions.

Aug 17, 2017

By Stefan Thelen

In November 2013 Salzgitter restarted their tandem mill after two weeks of shutdown, during which the existing mill entry equipment has been removed and replaced by new entry area equipment including pay-off reels, welding machine and a vertical entry looper for continuous feeding of the 5-stand tandem mill. It turned out to be beneficial to both product quality and production capacity.

Aug 16, 2017

By Gabriel Oliveira Glória

In the context of changing culture, the society is increasingly looking for environmentally friendly materials, the natural fibers appear as an option to substitute the synthetic. Among these natural fibers, the PALF fiber may be considered an option, but there is limited information about the flexural strength of epoxy composites incorporated with PALF fibers. Therefore, the objective of this work was to investigate the mechanical properties in bending tests of epoxy composites incorporated with up to 30% in volume of PALF fibers. The results showed that the PALF fiber increase the flexural strength of polymer composites.

Aug 16, 2017

By Paulo Rodrigues dos Santos Junior, Luciano Passos de Jesus, Vagno Dordenoni Beltrame, Vinicius Antonio Ramos Pin

Faced with an increasingly demanding and selective market, a thorough analysis of each step of the processes is required in order to achieve high levels of performance. In addition to a major factor of importance in the rolling process, due to its high price, the rolls represent one of the main items in the cost of hot coils production. Using the 6 sigma methodology, there were opportunities for improvement in the grinding process, fatigue analysis, improvement in NDT in rolls, as well as means to guarantee operational stability, which allowed the reduction of roll’s consumption and consequently the cost of production.

Oct 11, 2019

By Sebastien Maillard, Stephane Georges, Thomas Vallee, Stanislas Mauuary

Steel strip manufacturing ever reinvents proposing new grades, requiring to tackle technical limitations of production systems. Primetals Technologies breaks through strip welding by expanding the welder LW21L “Asolid” technology used on low gauges for high-end market such as automotive CAL/CGL. Addressing the usual drawbacks in maintenance, operation and safety of current welding system based on mechanical cutting and CO2 laser welding, the newly developped LW21H “Asolid” technology processes thicker strips up to 7 mm with solid-state laser cutting and welding. This new welder is brought to reality through a scale 1:1 pilot developed, manufactured and tested in Primetals Technologies workshop.

Oct 1, 2019

By Anivaldo Chevane, Leonardo Xerinda, Rogério Sendela, Andre Vilanculos

Moatize Coal Mine is located in Tete Province, in centre of Mozambique. The deposit contains Gondwana allochthonous coals, and has a large amount of mudstone and siltstone banding. Phosphorus levels in the coal can be high which impacts the use of the coals in steel making where phosphorus is considered a contaminant. The Chipanga seam in the Moatize deposit shows considerable variability, vertically within the seam and laterally across the deposit. The data available from the exploration work indicates that the phosphorus is predominantly present as Apatite but the Crandallite minerals also are significant. The concentration of phosphorus varies with coal particle density with the highest phosphorus levels found for the mid density coal which also shows the highest likely levels of apatite or fluorapatite. Crandallite minerals show higher potential concentrations in the Lower density coal..

Oct 3, 2019

By Jéssica Vicente Luiz, Rayander Martins Pimenta, Everton Pedroza dos Santos

The Hybrid Pelletized Sinter (HPS) is a agglomeration process that involves the combination of conventional sintering and pelletizing techniques and can be used with the purpose of obtaining improvements in the agglomeration stage of iron ore, and one of the great advantages of the process is the use of a wide particle size range of the ore. In this way, the superfines of low-cost ores, which are improper in sintering, can be used in the HPS process for the formation of the quasi-particle. The use of HPS with the sintering plants of the industries presented throughout the study, enabled an increase in productivity, decreased fuel utilization and reduced slag formation in blast furnaces. Thus, the present study aims to present a review of the literature on the Hybrid Pelletized Sinter (HPS) process and its main characteristics, as well as the results obtained by the companies that adopted the process.

Oct 1, 2019

By Nei Bongiorni Alff de Freitas

O uso de velocidade de onda sônica tem ganhado espaço na estimativa de resistência à compressão uniaxial (UCS) por ser um método mais barato, rápido e não destrutivo em comparação com o método tradicional. No entanto, por ser uma correlação empírica, as equações de correlação geradas variam muito quanto a precisão e necessitam serem aferidas para cada nova localidade geológica estudada. Com o objetivo de alcançar correlações mais precisas, esse artigo utiliza um maior critério de seleção das amostras. Arenitos e conglomerados criteriosamente selecionados resultaram em uma forte correlação com R2=0,99. Dessa forma, se constatou que quanto mais específica for a litologia selecionada, melhor é a correlação obtida.

Oct 30, 2017

By Leandro Augusto Justen Marzulo, Guilherme Lucio Abelha Mota, Otávio da Fonseca Martins Gomes, Gilson Alexandre Ostwald Pedro da Costa, Alexandre da Costa Sena, Felipe Schimith Batista

O presente trabalho desenvolveu uma solução, utilizando Hadoop e Map Reduce for C (MR4C), capaz de paralelizar a segmentação de fissuras em imagens de partículas minerais. Um conjunto de 221 imagens de tamanhos distintos de partículas de minério de cobre obtidas por microscopia eletrônica de varredura foi utilizado para os testes. A variação do número de nós de processamento apresentou um ganho do tempo de execução que escalou de forma quase que linear. O balanceamento de carga estática promoveu um speedup de 1,3. A solução proposta, quando comparada à implementação sequencial, considerando um cluster com 9 nós de processamento, atingiu um speedup de 19,1.

Oct 1, 2019

By Bráulio Salumão de Oliveira

Este estudo avaliou oportunidades de integração entre requisitos ambientais e econômicos durante etapas iniciais do desenvolvimento de produtos. Como principal ferramenta foi utilizado o Mapeamento de Fluxo de Valor, associando conceitos de manufatura enxuta, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) e Ecodesign, aplicado a um item de mobiliário aeronáutico em material compósito. Os resultados apontam que o tempo total de fabricação poderia ser reduzido em até 43%, além da otimização logística. A forma de construção influencia diretamente os impactos ambientais e oportunidades de utilização de matérias-primas menos agressivas foram apontadas como sugestões. O aspecto visual dos Mapas de Fluxo de Valor facilita a análise das informações e a tomada de decisão na seleção de materiais e processos que minimizem desperdícios e impactos ambientas na manufatura.

Oct 30, 2017

By Detlef Ehlert

With the proven “Plug & Work” concept developed by SMS Siemag, automation systems are tested and optimized in the test field in a near-reality environment before being shipped and commissioned at a customer’s site. The process and production simulations provide scenes showing the specific mechanical equipment, the drive systems and the technology of the corresponding customer plant. Beside the technological simulation of the plant and the IO-simulation with the automation system, the production simulation is one of the three important parts of the Plug & Work simulation environment. It serves two important additional purposes: the 3D visualization of the entire customer plant on the one hand and the mapping of the logistic procedures in the plant on the other. In order to provide a close-to-reality visualization of the plant, the original design data of the individual customer plant are used for creating the visualization and prepared using an appropriate export filter. In this way, it is ensured that production sequences can be optimized in advance together with the customer, so that each customer can be trained on his own future plant.

Aug 16, 2017

By Masahiro Shimura, Yoshiki Takahama, Toshiyuki Shiraishi, Daisuke Kasai

When advanced high strength steel (AHSS) is rolled at a high reduction ratio, the forward slip ratio in cold rolling tends to be lower than that of the other softer strips such as low-carbon steels, and the work roll sometimes skids the strip. To identify why forward slip ratio of AHSS at a high reduction ratio becomes smaller than that of low-carbon steel, the relationship between the reduction ratio and forward slip ratio was investigated by a rolling experiment. For this trial, a 4Hi laboratory cold mill was used. AHSS and low-carbon steel coils were rolled by two different rolls that were set to 0.3 and 0.6 μmRa to create two types of friction conditions. Furthermore, the rolling conditions were numerically analyzed to determine the influence of friction coefficient and flow stress on the relationship between forward slip ratio and reduction ratio. The experimental investigation and numerical analysis revealed that the forward slip ratio reduced with increasing rolling reduction ratio in a low friction state; contrarily, it increased with increasing rolling reduction ratio in a high friction state. This feature was clearly visible when harder materials were rolled.

Oct 1, 2019

By Robson Ferreira Vargas

No início de Março/2015 começaram a ser notados eventos de oxidação em bobinas armazenadas no pátio de expedição, e naquela época o fenômeno foi creditado às chuvas. Entretanto, passado o período chuvoso, ainda foram notados eventos de oxidação, que ocorriam também em produtos destinados à exportação. Isto mostrou que havia outra causa atuando no problema, e que era necessário descobri-la e tomar ações para sanar o problema. O produto final é a coroação do esforço produtivo anterior à sua obtenção, e leva consigo o nome do fabricante para onde for enviado. Por isto ele não pode ter falhas. A ArcelorMittal Tubarão montou um grupo de trabalho, que atuou em várias frentes, incluindo o condicionamento químico do sistema de resfriamento direto da laminação. Este grupo de trabalho obteve êxito na tarefa e as conclusões obtidas estão mostradas aqui.

Aug 17, 2017

By Aline Lima da Silva

The present work is focused on the thermodynamic study of the methane or biogas mixtures conversion on Cu-ceria catalysts. Several experimental studies reported in literature have demonstrated the ability of these materials to operate as SOFC anodes for direct methane oxidation, with the evidence of enhanced tolerance towards sulfur poisoning and carbon deposition. More recently, experimental investigations have shown the feasibility of Cu-ceria anodes to directly operate with simulated biogas feeds at intermediate temperature (1023K). In this way, the effect of the ceria redox properties on the equilibrium composition is investigated, considering methane or biogas mixtures as the fuel. Conditions under which carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning can be prevented are determined. Our study combines results from the classical thermodynamics, obtained with the help of FactSage software, with the new Cu-S and Ni-S diagrams proposed in literature, which were calculated based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT). These diagrams are able to predict a region where sulfur interacts with the metal surface through chemisorption. A comparison between the performances of Ni-YSZ and Cu-CeO2 catalysts is established from a thermodynamic viewpoint. Theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental trends from literature.

Aug 8, 2018

By D. F. Rodríguez-Pérez, J. Salinas-Reyes, Luis R. Salazar-Garza, C. A. Gómez-De-La-Garza

The Pickling Line Tandem Cold Mill (PLTCM) from Ternium Pesquería started in 2013. It is a line with 5 stands, 6 high; focused mainly on the exposed automotive market, with a wide spread of products with high quality requirements. In addition the operational continuity is very important, for this, one of the greatest challenges is to ensure operational discipline, the order of production, the quality of the input (hot band), operational interruptions, equipment failure, breakage of strip in the mill, among others. In relation to this, it has a strong impact on productivity, customer compliance, damage to equipment, rolls, safety, quality, reprocessing among others. Here is present the results obtained in the project "decrease of strip breaks" which focused on several fronts, discipline in the order of production, previous review of raw material in surface and dimensional defects with automatic inspection equipment in the hot mill, as well as in PLTCM, generation of logic in the redundant systems of alerts and prevention to avoid or minimize strip breaks that were high impact in the past. All these multidisciplinary actions led as a whole to a significant improvement in the performance indicators of the PLTCM, in productivity, compliance, reprocessing and quality in the cold rolled mill.

Oct 1, 2019

By Alaelson Vieira Gomes

A blindagem adicional de veículos militares usualmente possui uma camada de placas cerâmicas justapostas e coladas sobre um material dúctil, por exemplo, de aramida ou alumínio. Elas devem propiciar proteção balística em toda sua superfície, complementando a blindagem estrutural dos veículos. Suas placas cerâmicas são relativamente leves e muito eficazes na destruição da ponta de um projétil, no impacto balístico. Contudo, há limitações nesta solução, porque a linha de interface entre as placas é uma região vulnerável, pela ausência de continuidade material ao longo desta linha, onde a eficácia das placas fica mais comprometida, quanto mais próximo da borda uma placa for atingida por um projétil, como mostrado por simulação computacional. Foi desenvolvido um dispositivo cerâmico, à base de alumina com nióbia, com o objetivo de aumentar a proteção ao longo destas regiões vulneráveis. Resultados de ensaios balísticos comprovaram a fragilidade das interfaces e a eficácia do dispositivo desenvolvido.

Oct 30, 2017

By Priscilla Pessin Coppo

The prevention of dental enamel wear has particular relevance for preventive and restorative purposes in dentistry. The wear damage can increase due to salivary disorders and/or parafunction (bruxism); antagonists incisal surfaces become flat and coincident. This study aims to investigate the wear behavior and the related mechanisms in sliding pairs of conformal incisal enamel, with similar values of hardness and fracture toughness, with different applied normal loads and lubricated conditions. Bovine incisors, under pin on flat configuration, were tested in two lubrication condition (dry or with natural saliva) and two applied normal loads (8 and 16 N). The worn surfaces were investigated by 3D profilometry and SEM. The analysis of worn surfaces indicated mechanisms of brittle fracture, but with different severities. Under a normal load of 16 N and dry condition, wear is controlled by a brittle process: microcracking with flake-like wear particles, which results in high friction coefficient (> 0.85), wear rate and wear volume. On the other hand, under a normal load of 8 N and natural saliva, wear took place in the interprismatic region, with consequent exposure of prisms and fracture in localized regions. In this case, the friction coefficient was 16% lower and the wear volume was one order of magnitude lower. Under 8 N and natural saliva, the wear was greater than in the dry condition, probably due to tribochemical reactions.

Jul 31, 2018

By Jônatas Venancio Barbosa, Dagoberto Brandão Santos, Túlio Magno Füzessy de Melo

In this work, the mechanical and metallurgical behavior of titanium added ultra-low carbon (ULC-Ti) steel under hot and warm working conditions was studied by means of dilatometer compression tests. Double compression schedules were performed at temperatures between 700°C and 1000°C, inter-pass times of 0.5-100 s, and deformations of 0.5 and 0.3 in the first and second stages, respectively, with strain rate of 1 s-1. The analysis of the flow curves obtained allowed the evaluation of the softening characteristics of the steel. The softening and microstructure features indicate different restoration mechanisms depending on the temperature range. Static recrystallization with rapid microstructure restoration is observed at temperatures within the austenitic and intercritical field. Strain induced boundary motion and recovery mechanisms apparently control the restoration process in the ferrite region. In general, flow stress curves showed dynamic recovery behavior. Only the deformation in the intercritical region produced a peak in the flow stress curves. Isothermal holding tests associated with single hit compression indicated the presence of dynamic strain induced transformation, accelerating the softening kinetics at the intercritical region.

Oct 1, 2019

By Afonso Cardoso da Silva, Romeu Thomaz Viana Jr, Emanuelle Garcia Reis, José Herbert Dolabela da Silveira

The Gerdau Ouro Branco Mill, three years after the implementation of its new plate mill, has started to develop high complexity products. The plate mill’s learning curve has been increasingly challenging since products are being developed to their highest grades. This work aims to present the first results of the development of steels of the strength class of 510 MPa produced by TMCP (Thermomechanical Controlled Processing) followed by accelerated cooling. These results show the potential and advantage of the accelerated cooling process regarding to obtain products of high mechanical strength and high toughness, associated with a low equivalent carbon.

Oct 1, 2019