Steel Times International Digital February 2021

INNOVATIONS

INDUSTRY NEWS ROUND-UP

INFRASTRUCTURE

STEELMAKING

Pages and pages of the latest new products and recent contracts

A five-page round-up of the latest global steel industry news

Cleveland Bridge’s choice of Dillinger steel for a UK bridge building project

Reducing Al consumption in steelmaking at SAIL’s Rourkela steel plant

Since 1866

www.steeltimesint.com Digital Edition - February 2021 - No.17

WHY IT’S TIME TO DIGITALISE STEEL PROCUREMENT

CONTENTS - DIGITAL EDITION FEBRUARY 2021

INNOVATIONS

INDUSTRY NEWS ROUND-UP

INFRASTRUCTURE

STEELMAKING

Pages and pages of the latest new products and recent contracts

A five-page round-up of the latest global steel industry news

Cleveland Bridge’s choice of Dillinger steel for a UK bridge building project

Reducing Al consumption in steelmaking at SAIL’s Rourkela steel plant

Since 1866

www.steeltimesint.com Digital Edition - February 2021 - No.17

Front cover photo courtesy of Kocks.

2 Leader

by Matthew Moggridge.

30 Digitalisation Time to digitalise procurement?

4 News round-up Five pages of the latest global steel news.

34 Infrastructure Building bridges with Dillinger.

1

KOCKS RSB® 370++/4 currently operating in China.

WHY IT’S TIME TO DIGITALISE STEEL PROCUREMENT

EDITORIAL Editor Matthew Moggridge Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855151 matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com Consultant Editor Dr. Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Production Editor Annie Baker Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence SALES International Sales Manager Paul Rossage paulrossage@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855116

11 Innovations Eleven colourful pages of the latest new products and global contracts stories.

28 Amazing facts and figures Crazy steel facts – worth remembering for your next pub quiz!

Do you know how much steel went into the Empire State Building?

41 Steelmaking Reducing Al consumption.

46 Special steels Corrosion-resistant high-strength steels.

48 History Trade Union banners depicting UK steelworks

Sales Director Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855117 Managing Director Tony Crinion tonycrinion@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855164

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Chief Executive Officer Steve Diprose SUBSCRIPTION Elizabeth Barford Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email subscriptions@quartzltd.com Steel Times International is published eight times a year and is available on subscription. Annual subscription: UK £178.00 Other countries: £254.00 2 years subscription: UK £320.00 Other countries: £457.00 ) Single copy (inc postage): £40.00 Email: steel@quartzltd.com Published by: Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, England.

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Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034 www.steeltimesint.com Steel Times International (USPS No: 020-958) is published monthly except Feb, May, July, Dec by Quartz Business Media Ltd and distributed in the US

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46

ISSN0143-7798

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Digital Edition - February 2021

2

LEADER

COVID-19 has forced us to use new technology

Matthew Moggridge Editor matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com

email and the internet to do my job. I nip out for a brief lunch time walk and possibly a ride on the bike around 1630hrs. After that, I settle down to watch movies on Amazon Prime, the online company behind most of my household purchases.

The point here is simple: new technologies have come of age over the past year and it looks as if they’re here to stay. People are already talking about how the workplace has changed beyond all recognition and if you read this month’s Cover Story, which examines e-procurement in the steel industry, then, as Matt Yeates, managing director of Steel Scout, points out, it’s about time that the metals industry got with the programme. Why? Because metal is a vital part of the supply chain. In fact, as other sectors – notably the construction and manufacturing industries – get their digital acts together, those involved in metal procurement, argues Matt, need to ‘up the pace of adoption’ so that they don’t become disconnected from the broader supply chain. To read the full article, turn to page 30 of this digital edition of Steel Times International. We now produce 12 issues of the magazine.

It will soon be one year since COVID-19 graced the western world with its presence. As I write this Leader (in midFebruary) I am aware that this time last year none of us, bar the residents of Wuhan, had any idea of ‘lockdown’. Up until last March, relying upon Zoom for meetings and conferences, and online ordering for everything from books to frying pans, were alien concepts. I used to enjoy shopping, wandering around department stores, perusing the shelves of a high street bookstore, drinking cappuccino and eating cake in a café and then paying a small fortune for a multistorey car park. Oh, the good old days!

Less than 12 months on, the world has acclimatised itself to new technology. It’s almost as if we have started to catch up with the societies portrayed in Philip K Dick novels.

Commuting is a thing of the past for most of us. My journey to work involves a short walk downstairs and a brief hop across the living room into the ‘sun lounge’, which, at this time of year, isn’t very sunny. Twice a week I have virtual meetings at 0815hrs and then I rely upon

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4 NEWS ROUND-UP

Quote of the Month

“Tariffs are a policy to protect a few at the expense of many.”

John Foster, chairman, American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI) • South Korean steelmaker POSCO is to expand steel supply for liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks in anticipation of increased demand for environmentally-friendly vessels going forward. With a demand surge for LNG expected over the next five years, the company is likely to be producing more of its 9% nickel steel and last month supplied such steel to Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries for the construction of the world’s first LNG-fuelled bulk carrier.

Source: EconoTimes, 1 January 2021.

• In a move designed to strengthen its leadership position in the North American automotive marketplace, ArcelorMittal Dofasco has invested in added coating capability at its number five hot-dipped galvanising line in Hamilton, Canada. It means that the plant goes into the history books as the only Canadian producer of aluminium silicon (Alusi) coated Usibor Press Hardenable steel for the automotive sector. The number five line has an expected capacity of 160kt of Alusi-coated steel.

Source: Nasdaq, 31 December 2020.

• Anyang Iron and Steel Inc is expecting its net profits to fall by up to 22% year-on-year to approximately RMB200-250 million ($31-38 million). The Chinese steelmaker is laying the blame firmly at the feet of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also on the high prices of raw materials.

Source: Steel Orbis, 13 January 2021.

• Soma Mondal is the new chairperson of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). Ms Mondal took over from Anil Kumar Choudary and is the first female functional director of the stateowned steelmaker.

Source: ANI News, 1 January 2021.

• A resurgence in cases of COVID-19 means that steelmakers in China’s Hebei Province in the north of the country are putting greater quantities of steel into inventories following transportation restrictions.

The province accounts for one quarter of China’s total steel capacity. Three cities – Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang are now in lockdown.

Source: Hellenic Shipping News.com

• US Steel has acquired Dave Stickler's Big River Steel (BRS), the technology company that just happens to make steel. The Pittsburghbased steelmaker paid $764 million from ‘cash on hand’.

The acquisition means that integrated steelmaker US Steel effectively gets ‘the best of both’ worlds, to quote CEO David Burritt who regards BRS as a ‘world competitive green steel asset’.

Source: KAIT8.com, 18 January 2021.

• Nucor Corporation’s executive vice president of raw materials, Craig A Feldman, is to retire in June after 35 years of service with the American steel giant. As of 1 February, Daniel R Needham will be promoted to exective vice president of bar and rebar fabrication products.

The company’s president and CEO, Leon Topalian, commenting on Mr Feldman’s departure, said: “With a career that spans three and a half decades, Craig’s leadership has contributed significantly to the success of DJJ and Nucor”. DJJ refers to the David J Joseph Company.

Source: PR Newswire, 14 January 2021.

Digital Edition - February 2021

NEWS ROUND-UP

• An anti-dumping tariff targeting Chinese H-shaped beams going into South Korea has been extended by another five-year period, having been in force already since July 2015, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Source: Yonhap News Agency, 16 January 2021.

• An 88MW water electrolysis plant for energy firm Hydro-Québec is to be built in Varennes, Québec, Canada, and will generate 11,000 metric tonnes/ yr of green hydrogen. The green hydrogen division of Thyssenkrupp Ehde Chlorine Engineers will work on the installation of the plant.

Source: CNBC.com, 19 January 2021.

• As steelmakers around the world reel at the thought of being ‘the climate bad guys’, news comes out of South Korea that POSCO produces 81.48Mt of CO2 and Hyundai Steel 22.24Mt. They were, in fact, the top carbon ‘villains’ in South Korea in 2019. Steelmaking, claims Business Korea, is one of the largest emitters of environmental it will be carbon neutral pollutants, such as greenhouse by 2050. Source: Business gases and fine dust. POSCO says Korea, 18 January 2021.

• Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is planning to set up India’s first gas to ethanol plant at the company’s Chandrapur ferro alloy plant in Maharashtra.

Hot gases, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen emitted from a submerged electric arc furnace will be converted into ethanol using fermentation technology. When completed, the plant will be the fourth in the world in the steel sector.

It is currently in operation by two plants in China and one (operated by ArcelorMittal) in Belgium. Source: Economic Times, 24 January 2021.

• Figures released by the World Steel Association show that global crude steel production reached 1.86 billion tonnes for the year 2020, down 0.9% when compared to 2019.

Source: World Steel Association, 26 January 2021.

www.steeltimesint.com

• Argus Media reports that Liberty Steel will submit its bid for ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, valuing the ‘lossmaking unit’ at several billion Euros. Investment bank Jefferies has valued it at around 1 billion Euros.

Source: Argus Media.com, 25 January 2021.

• The West African nation of Liberia is hoping for $800 million of investment following talks with ArcelorMittal SA. Talks with the steelmaker regarding an amendment to a Mineral Development Agreement have made significant progress according to the country’s president, George Weah, and is likely to boost iron ore exports.

Source: Bloomberg, 26 January 2021.

5

• Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine is back to producing long products with two blast furnaces at its mill in Donawitz as demand rises, according to SP Global. The restarted furnace, which has an annual pig iron capacity of 750kt, has been idle since last summer (2020). With two furnaces up and running, the plant has an annual capacity of 1.5Mt. Source: S&P Global, 21 January 2021.

• Dillinger France, a subsidiary of the German Dillinger Group, and one of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy plates and quality steel, has been granted state subsidies for the modernisation of its pusher furnace number two. On 10 September 2020, the French Agency for the Environment and Control of Energy Consumption (ADEME) issued a call for projects on the energy efficiency of processes and public utilities in the industry.

The project initiated by Dillinger France is the only one from Dunkirk and one of four projects of the Hauts-de-France region among the 16 applications accepted throughout France.

Source: Dillinger, 26 January 2021.

Digital Edition - February 2021

6

NEWS ROUND-UP

• LIBERTY Steel Group, part of Sanjeev Gupta’s sustainable industry leader GFG Alliance, has strengthened its Board with the appointment of Denise Timns (pictured) as an executive director and Monica Middleton as a non-executive director.

According to Liberty, the new appointments continue the company's efforts to 'broaden the expertise of its senior management team as it continues its strong growth worldwide'.

Source: Liberty Steel, 26 January 2021.

• Despite capacity increases, sales from Russian steelmakers dipped in 2020 and largely because of COVID-19.

MMK sold 5% less in 2020, Severstal’s sales volume was down 4% and only NLMK reported an increase in production, with crude steel production up less than 1%.

Source: Argus Media, 26 January 2021.

• In what is being touted as a 200-300 billion won ($272 million) deal, Hyundai BNG Steel is planning to acquire LG Hausys’ auto materials and industrial film business.

Hyundai Motor Group is the preferred negotiatior for the acquisition, according to Pulse News, and a confirmative deal should be signed by March.

Source: Pulse News.co.kr, 26 January 2021

For more steel industry news and features, visit www.steeltimesint.com Digital Edition - February 2021

• With Wuhan virtually back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, but more cases being reported in the north of China, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is in town to investigate how the virus was unleashed on the world. Unfortunately, it appears that the Chinese authorities (the regime) are employing ‘tactics’ designed to stop people

• Sluggish steel demand is to blame for South Korean steelmaker POSCO’s 38% fall in operating profits, according to Reuters. It’s all to do with COVID-19, it is claimed.

Source: Reuters, 28 January 2021.

blabbing. The social media accounts of victims’ families have been taken down and a process of official obstruction, monitoring of social media groups and intimidation have been employed to stop the real story getting out.

It’s going to be a long ride, said WHO. Source: Euro Weekly.com, 27 January 2021.

• Scott Dorn has been appointed interim head of tubular solutions at US Steel Corporation.

He takes over from Douglas Matthers, senior VP of tubular solutions, who has retired. Dorn has been involved in tubular products as both a director and general manager within US Steel.

Source: BizJournals, 28 January 2021.

• Hyundai Steel Co of South Korea lost an incredible 440.1 billion won ($394.3 million) in 2020, having turned a profit of 25.6 billion won the previous year. Who’s to blame? Did somebody say, COVID-19?

Source: Yonhap News Agency, 28 January 2021.

• Figures released by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) show that the global production of molybdenum in Q3 rose 5% to 149.5 mlbs when compared to the same period of 2019, a 1% rise when compared to the previous quarter of 2020.Global use of molybdenum fell 1% to 138.5 mlbs when compared to the same quarter of the previous year, but rose 9% when compared to the previous quarter.

Source: IMOA, 29 January 2021.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

7

• Swedish steelmaker SSAB's discussions with Tata Steel concerning the possible acquisition of the latter's IJmuiden steel mill have resulted in no deal being struck between the two companies. After deeper analysis and discussions, SSAB claimed there were 'limited possibilities' to integrate the Tata facility into SSAB's strategic framework. "We have carefully evaluated Tata Steel IJmuiden and have concluded that an acquisition would be difficult for technical reasons. We cannot be sufficiently certain that we could implement our industrial plan with the preferred technical solutions as quickly as we would wish. We cannot align Tata Steel Ijmuiden with our sustainability strategy in the way desired," said Martin Lindqvist, president and CEO at SSAB. Source: SSAB, 29 January 2021.

• Plans to inject $1.5 billion into US Steel Corporation’s Mon Valley operations have stalled. The company is reevaluating where it spends its money, according to CEO David Burritt. A report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted him as saying the company needs to be a less capital-intense business, following news that the business lost a staggering $1.2 billion in 2020. However, he claimed that 2021 would be ‘a year unlike any other’, adding that this wasn’t ‘irrational exuberance’, quoting Alan Greenspan.

Source: Pittsburgh PostGazette, 29 January 2021.

• Contract worker Bebi Mandal died inside the Loco Repair shop of Tata Steel Jamshedpur. She lost consciousness and later died at Tata Main Hospital.

She was not involved in an accident and it is believed she died from a medical condition. Her body has been sent for post-mortem, which will determine the cause of death.

Source: The Avenue Mail, 30 January 2021.

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• It is reported that Ukrainian mining and steel group Metinvest increased pig iron output by 7% in 2020. The company produced 8.47Mt at its two facilities in Mariupol and increased production by 328kt at its Azovstal mill following a recent overhaul of its number three blast furnace.

The company’s crude steel output was up 9% at 8.29Mt. Source: Steel Orbis, 1 February 2021.

• Liberty Steel’s bid for ThyssenKrupp’s steel unit continues apace, says Steel Orbis, but there are issues.

Liberty wants TK to cover a four billion Euro pension shortfall, ‘giving it a negative equity value of at least 1.5 billion Euros, according to Bloomberg. In fact, according to the Steel Orbis report, TK is still looking into the feasibility of keeping the steel unit as part of the business or as a spin-off of its steel unit. The story continues…

Source: Steel Orbis 2 February 2021.

• Rocketing iron ore prices are forcing South Korean steelmaker POSCO to put up the price of thick steel plate by up to 15%. According to an online media report, the price of iron ore jumped on 28 January from $93.71 per ton to £157.42, according to data from Korea Resources Corporation.

Source: Yonhap News Agency, 30 January 2021.

• Fortune magazine has named Steel Dynamics Inc, one of the largest domestic steel producers and metals recyclers in the USA, as one of its 2021 World's Most Admired Companies. The company ranked No. 1 within the metals industry. "We are honoured by this recognition," said Mark D. Millett, president and chief executive officer.

"Our recognition is testimony to the extraordinary passion and spirit of excellence exhibited by our teams. It is their drive, innovation, and dedication to each other that propels Steel Dynamics to the highest standard of operational and financial performance. I thank each of them, and remind them, that their health and safety is our number one value and first priority."

Source: Steel Dynamics Inc, 2 February 2021.

For more steel industry news and features, visit www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - February 2021

8

• Russian steelmaker Severstal claims that its net profits more than doubled in Q4 because it reduced its costs. The company made a net profit of $386 million for Q4, up $167 million from Q3 and achieved this despite a 7% drop in revenue. ‘Severstal was able to reduce costs in the period and also booked a $111 million gain on currency effects’, said MarketWatch. com Source: MarketWatch.com, 4 February 2021.

• Tata Steel is bad for your health? Residents of Ijmuiden think so and are suing the steelmaker. According to lawyer Benedicte Ficqu, the factory is ‘unscrupulously and deliberately’ dumping hazardous substances into the air and soil of a densely populated area and into the wild. The company is accused of consciously engaging in ‘very risky production processes’.

Source, NL Times, 5 February 2021.

Digital Edition - February 2021

NEWS ROUND-UP

•[All tonnages mentioned in this news article are net tons]. Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that steel import permit applications for the month of January totaled 2.12Mt. This was a 0.1% decrease from the tonnage recorded in December and a 42.4% increase from the December preliminary imports total of 1.49Mt. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in January was 1.2Mt, down 10.3% from the preliminary imports total of 1.3Mt in December. The estimated finished steel import market share in January was 16% Source: AISI, 4th February 2021.

• Women are working in iron ore mines in India and are operating heavy earth-moving machinery.

It's part of a diversity programme at Tata Steel's Noamundi mine where unskilled women are being trained to enable them to work in core jobs at the mine. According to Atrayee Sarkar, Tata's VP of human resources, the intiative reflects the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Source: Financial Express, 10 February 2021.

• thyssenkrupp Steel has successfully completed the first phase of hydrogen tests on 'Blast Furnace 9' in Duisburg. In recent months, several tests on one of the 28 tuyères of this blast furnace could be conducted, while complying with corona requirements, among them some long-term tests. The company has gained important findings from the tests, enabling it to extend them to all tuyères in the next step and to transfer the technology to largescale industrial use. The

• The US International Trade Commission has made an affirmative final determination in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on vertical shaft engines with a displacement of between 225cc and 999cc from China. The ITC found that US vertical shaft engine producers have been materially injured by unfairly traded imports of vertical shaft engines from China, paving the way for imposition of AD/CVD orders. The law firm Wiley Rein is calling the ITC's final determination a victory for US industry.

Source: Wiley Rein, 4th February 2021.

injection tests are part of the company’s climate strategy with which it intends to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030.

Source: thyssenkrupp Steel, 4th February 2021.

• Crude steel production for Indian steelmaker JSW stood at 14.32 lakh tonnes for the month of January 2021, compared to 14.10 lakh tonnes for the same period in the previous year, showing growth of 2% year-on-year.

Flat rolled products dipped by 1% and long rolled products production was up 5% to 3.59 lakh tonnes (January 2021).

Average capacity utilisation for January 2021 was 96%.

The production of flat rolled products declined 1% to 10.14 lakh tonnes.

Source: IndiaInfoLine, 9 February 2021.

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IT‘S MORE THAN JUST A MACHINE.

WE MAKE YOUR PRODUCT GOLD

INNOVATIONS

11

PRODUCT agreement PAGES ESAB and Yaskawa sign collaborative The ESAB Group Inc. and leading robotics company YASKAWA have announced the signing of a global co-operation agreement to jointly develop and market a line of pre-engineered robotic welding systems called XCellerator. The XCellerator systems will be engineered and built

by Yaskawa and marketed by ESAB through its global sales channels.

Each company will contribute their own expertise to create a product, which is greater than the sum of their individual contributions. In creating the XCellerator line of pre-engineered robotic welding cells, Yaskawa brings more than 30 years of experience producing leading-edge robots, robotic controllers and robot cells to this effort. For its part, ESAB brings its deep expertise in welding processes, filler metals, equipment and automation together with their proprietary WeldCloud weld operations management infrastructure. Together they have produced an integrated robotic welding solution that truly exemplifies these two great companies.

Pre-engineered cells like XCellerator are the fastest, simplest path toward automation, it is claimed. They improve productivity per worker by three to five times and offer a compelling return on investment. Factory-built and tested, they are said to take the risk out of robotic system investments. The cells especially appeal to small and medium-sized manufacturers and fabricators that value easy installation, set-up and operation, enabling them to take a confident step toward automating their welding operations.

YASKAWA operates manufacturing and development facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, and claims it is a world-leading manufacturer of inverter drives, servo drives, machine

ESAB and YASKAWA have signed a global co-operation agreement to jointly develop and market a line of pre-engineered robotic welding systems called XCellerator.

controllers, and industrial robots. For more than 100 years, the company philosophy has been based on the principle of highest quality. This has helped YASKAWA to become one of the top global companies in the field of electrical drive technology. The company claims to have invented the word ‘mechatronics’ and believes its strong focus on R&D has yielded innovations that have contributed significantly to the success of many industries, among them machine construction, mining, machine tooling, automotive construction, packaging and semiconductors. As the supplier of MOTOMAN industrial robots, it is also

one of the world's biggest robot manufacturers.

ESAB exists to shape the future of welding and cutting. The company connects fabricators with the widest range of products with its industry-leading brand portfolio and the very latest technologies to solve, it claims, virtually any industry challenge. “Then we back it up with our knowledge, experience and passion to help them be more productive than ever before,” says the company.

For further information, log on to www.yaskawa.eu.com and www.esab.com

New pickling line for Chinese steelmaker Chinese steelmaker Shandong Taijia New Material Technology, part of the Taishan Iron & Steel Group, started up its new cold annealing pickling line late last year in Laiwu District, Jinan City, in Shandong Province and produced its first high-quality coil during an official ceremony on 12 December 2020, thanks to UVK, John Cockerill’s German subsidiary, which is based in Montabaur, near Cologne.

Shandong Taijia New Materials has officially started the construction of the second phase of its stainless steel project that will increase its production capacity by 400kt/yr.

The company, which started production in 2017, will thus increase its annual production from 300kt/yr (1st phase) to a total of 700kt/yr.

Despite the global pandemic, UVK’s German and Chinese project team kept the project on

For further information, log on to www.johncockerill.com

schedule. Site supervisors Tony Baehr and Michael Hehl had to spend two weeks in quarantine in their hotel rooms before being able to join the rest of the erection team on-site.

Fred Martin, head of metals business line, John Cockerill, commented: “Providing first class technologies is another important way of supporting our clients during this stressful time.”

12

INNOVATIONS

Plasma cutting from ESAB The Cutmaster® 40 is the latest manual plasma cutting system from ESAB Welding & Cutting Products. It weighs 10 kg, offers a rated output of 40 amps at 35% duty-cycle and delivers a recommended cut and pierce capacity on 12 mm steel and can sever steel up to 16 mm, the company claims. It uses 200 – 240VAC ± 10% 50/60 Hz 1ph main power and can run off a generator with at least 8kW. Kris Scherm, global manual plasma business & product director at ESAB, commented: “Headto-head evaluations against leading competitors confirmed that the Cutmaster 40 delivers superior cutting performance and unprecedented power and mobility.” He said that the arc stretch enables

Digital Edition - February 2021

the unit to maintain cutting performance while cutting in tight corners or working in unusual positions.

A weather-proof (IP23-rated) three-handle case protects the Cutmaster 40 and makes it easier to move in tight quarters, as well as help organise the cables. It comes equipped with the SL60 1Torch™ with a 5 m torch lead. Because it uses ESAB’s ATC® torch connection (standard on all Cutmaster units), operators can connect an additional 7.6 m of torch lead. The work cable uses a standard 50 mm dinse connection, while the work clamp creates a strong electrical connection.

“We designed the torch and work cables to

disconnect in seconds, which improves cable management when moving the unit,” adds Scherm. “Also, because these items can get damaged, the quick disconnect design makes them easily replaceable.”

The SL60 1Torch comes with the Cutmaster Black Series electrodes, which extend operating life by up to 60%. As a result, they lower cutting cost and downtime, as well as maintain cut performance over a longer time period. There is a 3-year warranty on the power supply and a 1-year warranty on the 1Torch.

For further information, log on to www.esab.com

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INNOVATIONS

Successful commissioning of Chicago rolling mill Automazioni Industriali Capitanio (AIC) has supplied and commissioned the process automation solution for the rolling mill of CHS Chicago Heights, based in Chicago, USA. CHS Chicago Heights is the largest special-market steel mill in the USA that rolls billet and rail steel and has been producing them for over 100 years.

AIC is a global system integrator providing advanced and tailored automation and robotic solutions for the steel industry.

The company’s latest contract includes the automation system and equipment for the revamping of the Chicago Heights’ rolling mill.

The scope of supply includes: new main and auxiliary drives; automation and control desks; HMI control system based on Stratus Server and ThinManager; safety systems; sensors; engineering; spare parts; remote support services; and packing and shipping.

AIC was involved in installation supervision

and the commissioning phases within the project schedule, which took place in October 2020, and worked closely with CHS Chicago Heights to ensure a smooth system start-up.

David Zapata, general supervisor of engineering and maintenance at Chicago Heights, commented: “I am very happy we decided to work with AIC, it was the best decision we made for this project. We look forward to continue to do business with you,” he told the Italian company.

For further information, log on to www.aicnet.it

Digital Edition - February 2021

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16

INNOVATIONS

New hardness tester from Buehler Buehler ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, is a leading manufacturer of instruments, consumables and accessories for metallography and hardness testing. Based on the concept of the proven and globally used RB2000, and offering a large range of testing scales and newly developed functions, the RH2150 is said to meet today's testing requirements. Its numerous accessories mean it is capable of testing many different parts and components – whether in high-volume production applications in quality control or in the R&D laboratory.

The Wilson RH2150 optimizes testing processes thanks to its completely new user interface and advanced statistical calculations, results graphing and easy test programmability. Results can be exported as csv and/or txt files on a memory device via an integrated USB interface. The optional, individually configurable DiaMet™ test software with its further advanced programming and export functions, provides for additional flexibility.

The RH2150 is available in two configurations for different load ranges. Whereas the regular version is appropriate for the regular Rockwell scale, the Twin version allows measuring in the superficial Rockwell scale. Both can be used for Brinell depth testing with up to 187.5 kgf, and for ball indentation testing that is common in the plastics and carbon industry. The maximum specimen heights are 10" (254 mm) with size 1 and 14" (356 mm) with size 2 of the tester. The maximum specimen weight is 50 kg (centred on anvil).

According to Buehler, a

Digital Edition - February 2021

number of special features provide for easy working without compromising safety and efficiency. These include the clamping device that fixes the part securely on the tester and provides stability during testing, the adjustable LED for optimum workspace illumination, indenter extensions for testing on more complex shapes, and rigid control buttons for automatic test head movement and test initiation. With the design and manufacturing of the RH2150 tester, the DiaMet software and test blocks all in-house, Buehler claims that system integration is guaranteed.

Matthias Pascher, Buehler’s hardness product manager, commented: "The trend towards ever tighter manufacturing tolerances and more advanced heat treatment methods in the automotive and aerospace industries require hardness testing systems to be durable while maintaining precise control during critical test data generation. They must be easy to use, yet flexible enough to meet the increasing demands in the industries. The new Wilson RH2150 meets these demands: This reliable and easy-to-use system offers superior accuracy and repeatability against low training requirements.

The DiaMet software package enables the system to be controlled via the user interface, automatic reporting and full traceability of test results thanks to the integrated DiaMet database."

For further information, log on to www.buehler-met.de

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INNOVATIONS

New orders from China for Friedrich Kocks Friedrich Kocks GmbH has been busy of late.

The company was behind Chinese steelmaker Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel’s successful commissioning of its new small bar mill with Kocks 3-roll technology.

The Chinese company, otherwise known as Shigang, has successfully commissioned a new 600kt/yr small bar mill incorporating a reducing and sizing Block (RSB®) 370++/4 supplied by Kocks.

The 4-stand RSB® 370++ operates as the finishing unit for the production of straight bars within a dimensional range from 13mm to 60mm. A Size Control System (SCS®) enables real time adjustments of the operating parameters of the rolling block, as well as a remote control (RC), which ensures fast size changes and provides great flexibility, according to Kocks.

The biggest Kocks RSB® in block size 500++ was already commissioned at the end of 2020 at Shigang’s medium bar mill with finishing sizes up to 160mm in diameter.

Sticking with China, Hunan Valin Xiangtan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd has granted final acceptance for its new SBQ mill 3 with a KOCKS 3-roll RSB® 5.0.

The Chinese special steel producer issued a final acceptance certificate (FAC) to Kocks for the successful commissioning of a 3-roll RSB® 370++/5 in 5.0 design. It is the second successful installation of the equipment at Xiangtan; the first was back in 2005.

The RSB® 5.0 is designed for thermo-mechani-

cal rolling and is claimed to finish most flexible all straight bar sizes of 16mm to 100mm onto the cooling bed.

Because of its very uniform deformation over the cross-section of the bar and the limited temperature increase due to the high deformation

efficiency, the KOCKS 3-roll RSB® is claimed to be ideally suited for thermo-mechanical rolling with a uniform fine grain size.

For further information, log on to www.kocks.de

Airmatics supports Liberty’s green pledge Liberty Steel Group, has appointed global compressor control, performance and monitoring solutions expert, CMC, to install AIRMATICSTM at its flagship Speciality Steels site in Rotherham, UK. AIRMATICSTM is a cloud-based solution that provides data, analytics and insights for individual compressors through to entire compressed air systems, in real time, via an easy-to-use graphical interface.

The move will support Liberty Steel Group’s carbon-neutral ambitions by reducing the amount of air compressor-related carbon emissions by up to 30%.

Capable of managing an infinite number of locally interconnected fixed speed or variable output air compressors, regardless of age or manufacturer, AIRMATICSTM will now help Liberty Steel manage its entire fleet of Sullair TS20-200 compressors, which are used to produce 100kt of high-grade steel each year.

Liberty Steel Group’s decision to install AIRMATICSTM is also expected to cut the steelmaker’s Digital Edition - February 2021

annual air compressor energy bill, which currently stands at £250,000, by up to £75,000.

Andy Thompson, department engineer at Liberty Steel Group, commented: “On a site that typically produces 2,000 tonnes of steel each week for the aerospace, oil and gas, and industrial engineering sectors, we tend to use large volumes of compressed air. Until now, we’ve been sending air out without fully understanding its efficacy or knowing how or where leaks were happening. Now, via AIRMATICS, we can not only access forensic levels of data relating to each of our assets, but also understand exactly how our air is being used and how we can further reduce our carbon footprint.”

Graham Coats, sales director at CMC, added: “Manufacturers are not only increasingly turning towards solutions that provide them with a 360-degree view of their compressed air assets, but they’re also looking to make their assets work as efficiently as possible. In a world where energy and carbon reduction is paramount, Liberty Steel Group is now equipped with the tools to help

them reduce carbon emissions, decrease their energy bill and increase the longevity of their compressed air assets by ensuring that they run optimally during every second that they’re in operation.” www.steeltimesint.com

INNOVATIONS

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Hi-tech casting and rolling for Bashundhara Group Bashundhara Group, the largest private Bangladeshi company, has ordered a MIDA endless-casting rolling minimill from Danieli to produce 1Mt/ yr of rebar and wirerod for the local market.

The equipment will be installed at Bashundhara industrial park in Mirsarai, nearby Chittagiong, Bangladesh, and it will be most productive single-strand minimill for long products in the world, claims Danieli.

MIDA endless casting rolling minimills, claims Danieli, are the most energy-efficient, green and competitive plants to produce long products thanks to patented Digimelter and QLP-DUE®.

DUE®, Danieli Universal Endless technology is the Italian plantbuilder’s endless-casting rolling technology designed to produce long products (QLP-DUE®) and flat products (QSP-DUE®) in a green and competitive way.

Scrap will be continuously melted by a 100-t Digimelter, which will operate at a productivity rate of 150 tonnes/hr. Featuring a Q-One power unit, Q-Melt intelligent controller and ECS continuous scrap charging, Digimelter runs the melting processes automatically, in a stable and adaptive way, with minimal impact on the electric network, it is claimed.

The single-strand FastCastPlus machine equipped with high-performance FCC oscillator and the newly patented Octocaster mould will deliver endless billets to the mill at casting speeds exceeding 7m/min, claims Danieli.

The rolling mill consists of 20 AC-driven hous-

ingless stands in H and V configuration and feeds two lines for bars in bundles and wirerod, which include two six-pass pre-finishing plus one fourpass finishing blocks, QTB and QTR quenching lines.

According to Danieli, equipment and control systems from its sister business, Danieli Auto-

1 For further information, log on to www.airmatics.eu

mation, will guarantee continuous and reliable production of the technology combined.

The start-up of the new Green Steel MIDA minimill is expected by early 2023.

For further information, log on to www.danieli.com

2 1. The Sullair TS20-200 compressors at Liberty Steel’s plant: AIRMATICS™ will help reduce annual compressed air energy costs from £250,000 to £75,000 2. ERO is the brain behind AIRMATICS™, which is locally installed and digitally connected via the cloud

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Digital Edition - February 2021

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INNOVATIONS

SMS modernises six-strand billet caster

Chinese steelmaker Dragon Steel Corporation, part of China Steel Corporation, has granted a final acceptance certificate (FAC) to SMS Concast for the modernization of its six-strand billet caster.

The steelmaker, based in Taichung, Taiwan, claims the objective of the revamp was to improve billet quality for the local high-end market for applications including fasteners, welding rod and mechanical components.

According to SMS Concast, the project consisted of an automation upgrade and the introduction of dynamic secondary air-mist cooling (COOL-DSC) as the main modernization measures. The company claims that the project has achieved ‘a distinct improvement in product quality in terms of internal structure and surface cracking’ Ting-Yun Lin, project engineer at Dragon Steel Corporation, commented: “With a comparatively small modification to our caster, we have achieved a clear improvement in product quality, efficiently reducing the billet rejection rate. The co-operation with SMS Concast was excellent: Digital Edition - February 2021

together we kept the tight schedule and achieved our project goals. All-in-all, a very successful modernization project which has further strengthened our business relation.”

Dragon Steel’s 9m radius, six-strand billet caster was originally built by SMS Concast in 2000 and was upgraded in 2014 with final electromagnetic stirrers (FEMS). It produces 145mm square billets at an annual production rate of 600kt, depending on the market situation. Steel grades include cold-heading, low-alloy, free-cutting, hot-forging and welding-rod steel.

The automation upgrade mainly involved the Level 1 system and the introduction of the COOL simulation package including COOL-DSC (dynamic spray cooling) with Airmist nozzles for homogenous secondary cooling. COOL is a proprietary solidification model for online visualization of the solidification along the strand. According to SMS Concast, the COOL-DSC function of the system regulates each spray zone’s water flow according to specified billet temperature values, enabling Dragon Steel Corporation to optimize billet temperature along the secondary cooling zone and

thereby improve surface quality.

COOL software, claims SMS, can be used offline by metallurgists and process engineers to fine-tune casting parameters and run ‘ghost casts’ in order to save on expensive trial casts. It can be used offline to compare the steady-state conditions of various casting parameters and simulate sequences with pre-defined casting speed variations and grade changes.

As production shifts towards high-grade steels at Dragon Steel Corporaiton, it was necessary to upgrade the CONFLOW stopper controls. Standard nozzles were replaced with air-mist spray nozzles. SMS Concast claims that the CONFLOW stopper controls are robustly designed to ensure precise and well-controlled steel flow from the tundish to the mold. The Airmist nozzles are designed by SMS Concast and provide ‘homogenous spray cooling for improved secondary cooling and less surface cracking’ it is claimed.

For further information, log on to www.sms-group.com www.steeltimesint.com

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22

INNOVATIONS

New mill for SUNSCO Primetals Technologies will deliver a new light-duty Hyper UC-mill designed for thinner building materials at SUNSCO in Vietnam.

Vietnamese steelmaker Maruichi Sun Steel Joint Stock Company (SUNSCO) is to introduce a light-duty Hyper Universal Crown-mill (Hyper UCmill) at a production site in Binh Duong Province in Vietnam. The project involves Austrian plant builder Primetals Technologies.

SUNSCO, part of the Maruichi Group, was established in 1996 as the first 100% foreign capital-invested steel company in Vietnam. The company produces and sells molten zinc, 55% Al-Zn galvanized steel coil, colour coated steel coil, and steel pipe. The company’s products are mainly used for civil and building construction, structural uses, furniture, bicycle and motorbike parts and other industrial uses.

According to Primetals Technologies, the mill is a compact, light duty type of Hyper UC-mill, a RCM, employing smaller diameter work rolls, thus reducing rolling loads. It allows the production of thinner materials of high quality at lower costs

Digital Edition - February 2021

and saves on investment and maintenance costs.

The Hyper UC-mill was developed by Primetals Technologies to achieve high performances of strip gauge and flatness control for high strength steel (HSS) rolling. It is also applicable for rolling high grades of non-grain oriented silicon steel and thinner products. The technology stands on an optimized roll diameter combination (small work, intermediate and back-up rolls,) a ‘work roll driven system’ to achieve high flatness controllability, and the development of a high strength small diameter spindle to drive the work roll.

The mill will process thin sheets with end-product thicknesses down to 0.2mm and a width of 1,250mm. This particular mill can produce sheets as thin as 0.1mm, claims Primetals. In fact, along with with No.1 CRM previously delivered by the company, it will increase annual production capacity to 250kt.

The SUNSCO equipment will be the first Hyper UC-mill to expand the original mill concept to the production of thinner and softer material using optimized roll forces; and it will enable SUNSCO to build a stable position for itself in a market where there is growing demand for thinner building and construction materials.

Under the climatic conditions prevalent in Southeast Asia, thinner sheet-based roof materials need to be replaced regularly and, therefore, are in high demand. The challenge is to produce durable, high quality building materials with continually reduced thickness to save costs.

Primetals will supply the complete mechanical and electrical equipment and supervise installation and commissioning.

For further information, log on to www.primetals.com

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INNOVATIONS

Voith introduces SafeSet EZi Global technology company, the Voith Group, has extended its range of torque limiting couplings by introducing SafeSet EZi, claiming that it is meeting growing demand for maximum performance and highest safety in industrial environments.

The Voith SafeSet series of torque limiting couplings is said to suit all applications and facilitate an immediate release at a pre-set torque in the event of a torque overload, thereby protecting drive trains and maximizing productivity.

The latest technical enhancements include a peak shaving function without disengaging the coupling. According to Voith Group, this improved release mechanism facilitates protection during short transient loads without releasing, while the wider slots together with the dual connection allow for quicker, easier and safer resetting. In order to improve efficiency and reduce downtime during maintenance, a shear tube installation tool is included in the service box to simplify the exchange of the tube in the event of an overload.

Voith claims it is now possible to provide customized drawings within minutes of finalizing a new coupling through a newly developed virtual design tool.

Where maintenance is concerned, oil change procedures are simplified with SafeSet EZi, claims Voith. Multiple oil filling ports provide access without the need to rotate the coupling before service and enable operators to choose from various ports and use them as back-up if one port is damaged. A user-friendly filling tool and pre-defined oil volumes make oil refilling easier and faster, says Voith.

Spare part availability and delivery times are improved and maintenance procurement and planning stress are eased significantly.

The new design concept is also claimed to improves spare part availability and delivery time and significantly ease maintenance procurement and planning stress.

The SafeSet EZi torque limiting couplings are compatible with Voith Dtect, a fully compatible optional system providing peak load slippage measurement, speed and service indicators to the operator for monitoring the status of each coupling. Event logging is possible and disconnection can be indicated immediately to minimize downtime.

For further information, log on to www.voith.com

Digital Edition - February 2021

INNOVATIONS

www.steeltimesint.com

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Digital Edition - February 2021

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INNOVATIONS

ABB leads ‘mine of the future’ project Leading global technology company ABB is involved with a pioneering ‘mine of the future’ project which, it claims, ultimately aims to demonstrate zero carbon dioxide emissions and productivity increases of 50%.

The company, which claims to push the boundaries of technology with its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, has provided electrification, connected control and operations management systems, high-visualization and mobile operator workplaces as part of a global mining partnership to visualize a once-in-a-generation technology shift and reduce climate impact.

The Sustainable Underground Mining (SUM) project was devised by LKAB and has the goal of setting a new world standard for sustainable mining at great depths in partnership with ABB, Combitech, Epiroc and Sandvik. The framework outlines ambitions for zero carbon dioxide emissions, completely safe mines for humans, productivity increases of 50% and deeper mining.

ABB will contribute its deep knowledge of electrification, automation and workplaces together with other suppliers to the mining industry. The collaboration aims to find new methods and

smarter solutions for mining operations in the future. Test work at LKAB’s Kiruna mine in northern Sweden, as well as a virtual test mine, will study the best way to build a carbon dioxide-free and autonomous production system.

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Within the mine, the Konsuln orebody is used to demonstrate future workplaces in a decentralized environment with efficient use of an autonomous electrical mobile transport system in a mixed environment. Real time process information is available to all organizations involved.

When combined with the wider efforts of the SUM partnership, this shows a way of bringing completely new technology solutions to market for safer, more sustainable and more efficient mining production processes.

Jan Nyqvist, global product manager for Underground Mining Automation at ABB, and one of the leaders in the project, commented: “We are taking significant strides towards a vision of the future operator environment through smarter working and demonstrable results. Electrification and automation are two important factors for the mining industry to continue its rapid, but effective, modernization. Sharing of information and data is crucial to reach substantial end goals.

“It is becoming increasingly common for suppliers to create dedicated collaboration groups to reach the best possible solutions for their customers. Collective successes and progress and the meeting of key targets for SUM, are initial evidence of the mutual benefits of collaboration.”

According to Nyqvist, ABB is integral to the next step, which is to build a demonstration workshop to connect electrical and automation systems that have so far been developed for the project. “We will, through various developed scenarios, be able to show how the systems work together.”

By 2022, ABB’s electrification and automation solutions will be fully installed, and the aim is that a new standard for mining production will be set globally by 2030.

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28

AMAZING FACTS & FIGURES

We all love an interesting statistic or fact, don’t we? Or those little golden nuggets of useless information that you say will come in handy in a general knowledge quiz, but never comes to pass? Well, this article, from Metals Warehouse*, has all the answers to questions you probably never thought of asking!

Crazy steel facts

clubs go into China’s Three Gorges Dam? Again, unlikely.

Well, Metals Warehouse has those answers and a few more insane statistics to go alongside them as well! Below are four crazy statistics that might leave your jaw on the floor:

HAVE you ever looked at a structure and wondered: ‘how much stainless steel goes into that?’ Probably not, but the team at Metals Warehouse, the UK’s number one supplier of custom-cut metal, did just that and decided to do some digging around, putting into perspective just how much steel goes into some of the world’s biggest structures.

Steel. Items. Structures. The key numbers.

By frantically trawling through the World Wide Web, the company has found out exactly how many kilograms of steel go into an array of different products and structures. These include:

1. Approximately 2.4 billion teaspoons go into the Empire State Building 2. It would take 25,934,400 plates of armour to make up the UK’s entire railway line… to give further context, you could equip an army of 26 million knights with full plate armour with the steel in the UK’s railways 3. You would need the equivalent of 634,246,575 golf clubs to build the Three Gorges Dam 4. It would require 250 VW Golfs to have enough steel to build your own Angel of the North.

• Teaspoon = 30g • A golf club = 73g • A plate of armour = 25kg • A VW Golf = 787kg • Angel of the North = 200 tonnes • Forth Rail Bridge = 55kt • Empire State Building = 60kt • Three Gorges Dam = 463kt • The UK railway system = 648kt tonnes Some of those answers alone are enough to blow your mind, but let’s take that further and spice these facts up!

Sticking with those same kilogram values above, do you think your friends, and family would be able to answer how many teaspoons go into the Empire State building off the top of their heads? Probably not. Do you think they would know how many golf

From kilograms to kilometres Metals Warehouse has also researched how far all the girders that make-up China’s Three Gorges Dam – considered the world’s most powerful power station – would go if you took them out and laid them on the ground.

Firstly, what is a girder? A girder is typically a large iron or steel beam or compound structure used for constructing bridges and the framework of large buildings and structures. In short, it’s pretty important!

There are approximately 17,301.943.20 kilometres worth of girders in the huge structure. To put that into context: • There are 532km between London and Edinburgh – meaning you would have to travel between the two capitals 33 times (32.52244962 to be precise) to make up the distance of the girders that make up the Three Gorges Dam. • Moving on from that, there are 8,670km between London and the Three Gorges Dam – meaning you would have to travel a near round trip journey (1.995610519 if we’re being picky) to walk, drive, or fly the equivalent length of those girders!

The likelihood is that you didn’t know any of this before reading, but we bet you’re glad you know them now! Who knows, you might just need them someday.

The methodology behind the data So, how was it done?

Metals Warehouse scraped data from a number of websites.

Admittedly, the VW Golf caused an issue.

Not a huge one, but an issue nonetheless.

For this, the team took the average amount of steel in a car percentage and multiplied it by the weight of a VW Golf – giving the 78.7kg figure.

Similarly, with the length of girders, Metals Warehouse took the standard size and converted the lb/ft to Kg/m, which gave a figure of 26.764kg of steel per mile. �

* Metals Warehouse, http://www.metalswarehouse.co.uk Digital Edition - February 2021

www.steeltimesint.com

AMAZING FACTS & FIGURES

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ABOUT METALS WAREHOUSE With over 20 years of experience in supplying the manufacturing industry, The Metals Warehouse is an ISO accredited company that offers a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and an unrivalled inventory in Stainless Steel and Aluminium sourced from reputable mills.

The business’ standard stock range consists of sheet and plates, tread and floorplates, square and round tubes and bars, as well as flat bars, angles, and channels – all available to cut to size. The Metals Warehouse also offers handrail systems and all the fittings that support multiple industries across the UK.

www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - February 2021

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DIGITALISATION

Why it’s time to digitalise steel procurement

Digital technologies have transformed practically every industry across both B2C and B2B sectors and now form part of people’s everyday lives, from how we manage our homes to how we buy goods and services. Although it is generally recognised that B2B sectors have been slower to adopt digitalisation than their B2C counterparts, this is changing rapidly, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Matt Yeates* DURING the pandemic, many businesses have adopted new ways of working, often taking advantage of modern technology to facilitate remote working, flexible hours, video conferencing and more. A recent report by Make UK and McKinsey stated that Britain’s smaller manufacturers underwent three years’ worth of innovation in just three months of the first lockdown

period. Another survey by PROS revealed that during the first three months of the first lockdown, B2B purchasing through digital channels had soared from 29% to 37% – expected to rise to 40% postpandemic.

However, some sectors remain at the early stages of the adoption curve – metal procurement is cited as one. For many

industrial businesses, metal is a vital part of the supply chain, including manufacturers, laser processors, construction firms and engineers. But while some buyers and distributors have made a shift towards e-commerce, the sector is only at the beginning of discovering how to leverage this channel to market. This presents a challenge, as while manufacturing and

* Managing director, Steel Scout, www.steelscout.com Digital Edition - February 2021

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DIGITALISATION

of these benefits, the metal buyers and suppliers should see digitalisation as a source of competitive advantage; those businesses that adopt new technologies early will often see increased efficiencies, speed to market and opportunities for growth.

The steel sector has faced considerable headwinds in the last few years, including price fluctuations, overcapacity, reliability, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have resulted in uncertainty for both buyers and suppliers.

These factors, together with a lack of transparency and an overreliance on traditional processes, have meant traditional buying and sales processes persist.

This leads to inefficiencies throughout the supply chain, including manual processes, sub-optimal stock holding, higher costs, and additional working capital. The impact on buyers means less choice, a lack of visibility of product availability and pricing, resource-intensive procurement processes and slower speeds to market.

construction firms accelerate digital solutions in their production lines, teams involved in metal procurement will need to up the pace of adoption so that they do not lag and become disconnected from the broader supply chain.

Why it’s time to digitalise steel distribution The internet’s ubiquity and scalability facilitates access to new customers, markets, and suppliers for all businesses, including metal users. This leads to new opportunities and revenues, together with lower costs of acquisition. Combined with new low-cost data storage capabilities, information can be stored easily and cheaply and used more effectively to make metal procurement more efficient. Because www.steeltimesint.com

Manufacturers are optimistic We recently surveyed 100 manufacturing professionals to ascertain their expectations and concerns surrounding the current pandemic. We found that more than 60% of those in the manufacturing industry expect the sector to recover from COVID-19 and return to business as usual by mid2021. However, they highlighted issues in the wider supply chain that might impact recovery, with 66% reporting that it has been harder to get hold of the materials they needed.

Furthermore, almost 80% of respondents reported that they adopted new working practices to deal with the rules and guidelines around lockdown. Of course, the most common change was working remotely – 49% of those surveyed. While video conferencing, flexible hours and instant messaging have helped navigate the impact of the pandemic, almost a third bolstered their use of digital platforms to secure the materials they needed.

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The results of our survey took a magnifying glass to the issues that businesses have been challenged by, and in most cases have overcome. The good news is that the majority of manufacturers surveyed are optimistic for recovery and expect demand to return to pre-pandemic levels by July 2021.

While optimism was high in general, there were some specific issues that gave cause for concern. For example, many highlighted a lack of support and visibility in the supply chain. The majority of respondents (51%) are still contacting the same number of suppliers as they had been pre-pandemic, but 66% report that it has been harder to get hold of the materials they need in the timeframe required.

More than a third of respondents said that it was taking longer just to identity the ‘winning quote’ from suppliers, potentially causing further delays and adding inefficiency to the process. When asked what the most valuable improvement would be to help fulfil post-pandemic orders, greater visibility of the supply chain was selected as first choice by 42% of those surveyed. A more diverse supplier network was selected by a fifth (21%) of respondents, while technology that increases efficiency was also a popular third choice (19%).

These supply chain issues do not come as surprise. A lack of visibility of suppliers and product range, together with pricing opacity in metal buying has long been a challenge for businesses. However, the pandemic exacerbated the situation with some suppliers forced to stop operations entirely. Fast forward just a few months, and combined with current market conditions including stock shortages, manufacturers are facing ongoing supply challenges.

The solution could be a simple one using modern technology. In fact, the survey found that transformative digital platforms are already helping to make the procurement of materials an easy and efficient process. Nearly a third of those Digital Edition - February 2021

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DIGITALISATION

The benefits of digitalisation There are three key areas where digital technology can improve business performance, independent of budget, size or location.

1. Connectivity Digital platforms are accessible by almost anyone, anywhere, at any time. Removing geographical barriers provides access to new suppliers, locally as well as nationally and internationally. The 24/7 nature of digital means that businesses don’t have to be constrained to office hours and the mobile internet means that buyers and suppliers can manage their orders from any location. This is especially pertinent during the current crisis, where 40%-50% of the workforce has been unavailable to perform their functions on-site.

surveyed have increased their use of digital platforms in order to safeguard their supply chains.

As the country emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, uncertainty will remain in the medium term with price increases and the unknown impact of Brexit around the corner. But digitalisation can help buffer the impact. A study by McKinsey on the businesses that emerged successfully from the 2008 financial crisis showed that one of the key factors that enabled them to come out of the downturn stronger was the adoption of digital technologies that gave them greater predictability and efficiency, resulting in a significant competitive edge.

Digitalising a traditional industry There are several reasons for the slow adoption of digital technologies across the metal distribution sector. Often mentioned first by suppliers is that ‘our customers aren’t asking for these new ways of working’, and so by implication, they must be happy with the status quo. This is a high-risk position for suppliers to hold as numerous B2C and B2B sectors have already faced a tide of rapid upheaval as customers switched to providers offering the speed, ease, and efficiency of digital interaction.

This will only accelerate as the Digital Native generation increasingly make up the workforce and become the decision-makers in B2B procurement.

Digital Edition - February 2021

Drawing on their experiences of B2C digital providers, B2B customers will expect and, increasingly demand, more from their suppliers. The highly competitive nature of the manufacturing and construction sectors means that few players can afford to ignore the efficiencies and savings that digitalisation can feed through to their businesses. The pressure to change will challenge the incumbent market players to re-think Other frequently cited barriers to change include digital knowledge, skilled labour, perceived costs of technology, high levels of fragmentation and the anticipated impact on relationships. However, most, if not all of these barriers, can be addressed by choosing a trusted digital partner and in fact, many of the emergent metal platforms remove the need for skilled labour or investment in technology.

Indeed, in terms of customer relationships, rather than having a negative impact, digital should be seen as a way to enhance existing relationships. For example, suppliers can offer value-added services by providing customers with more efficient ordering processes and personalised data.

And by automating and reducing admin tasks, buyers can free up time for increased customer engagement. Studies have shown that digitalisation can improve service levels, profitability and inventory.

2. Efficiency By automating basic processes and reducing the time needed to get quotes and confirm jobs, digitalisation can speed up the time taken to respond to customers. For example, ordering, document storage and notifications are all centralised, meaning that tasks like getting quotes, agreeing orders, reporting and documentation are all easier and quicker. Such tasks could equate to up to 50% of a buyer’s time so the potential for productivity gains or cost saving are considerable.

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DIGITALISATION

3. Visibility The ability to capture, store and access data easily and cheaply in the cloud means that multiple tasks can be managed in one location or automated, eliminating the need for time-consuming admin and fragmented data storage on paper or in spreadsheets. Furthermore, businesses

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can use this data to add value to their customers by providing insights for their business and automating reports.

Gaining competitive advantage The concerns expressed by many manufacturers are often around issues that they felt were outside of their control. For example, a recurring theme was the lack of visibility and options in the supply chain and procurement process, which in turn caused pain points around efficiency and deliverability.

Buyers are often reliant on a single or limited supply source, meaning that it’s difficult to know if they’re getting a good deal. In times of economic uncertainty, such as the current market, they are unable to quickly and confidently switch suppliers to ensure continuity and reliability of supply.

However, with digital services these issues are now well within their control.

Digitalisation can give buyers more choice, better value and more efficient buying processes. And in times of uncertainty, one way for metal buyers to ensure the continuity of supply is to work with digital partners who can leverage these benefits to quickly adjust to rapidly changing market conditions. Working with a platform that can move quickly, get a real-time view of demand, and quickly connect the

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right buyers with the right suppliers, can guarantee materials and projects. And by providing metal buyers and suppliers with an overview of the market in just a few clicks, this reduces the time and resource required to search for, contact and set up new partners.

The future is digital The innovation and determination shown by the manufacturing industry to continue operating through the crisis also reveals a clear shift towards the adoption of new technology to enable that continuity. Many businesses may never return to the previous way of working, and I believe a key part of the recovery will come from locking in lessons learned during the pandemic.

Eradicating inefficiency sounds simple, but often trying new approaches requires a bold step to really understand what you can achieve. Digital manufacturing’s strength is becoming evident, with tools and platforms that can add value quickly and bring competitive advantages in challenging markets. By adopting a digital mindset, metal procurement can become key to helping support UK manufacturing as it adapts to a new way of working. This will ensure the industry recovers strongly and is well-placed to face all the challenges and opportunities ahead. The time is now. � Digital Edition - February 2021

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Digital Edition - February 2021

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INFRASTRUCTURE

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The flange and web plates are welded together to form an H-beam

Dillinger steel for UK bridge Professional bridge-building company Cleveland Bridge used DIWETEN 460+M steel for the construction of the Carrington Bridge in Worcester, UK. In this article we look at the thinking behind the decision and find a superior steel product that offers a range of benefits in terms of weatherresistance and time and cost savings www.steeltimesint.com

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Location shot of where the Carrington Bridge will be installed over the River Severn

The last pair of beams are lifted over the River Severn

Installation of the steel beams at the final location

THE dualling of the Southern Link Road marks the upgrading of one of the busiest roads in Worcester, England, to match modern traffic levels. The final piece in this infrastructure project, one of the region’s largest, is the construction of a new Carrington Bridge in immediate proximity to the existing bridge, which bears the same name. One of the leading contractors for such demanding steel structures, Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd., was entrusted with the steelwork for this 205-metre long bridge.

The background to the award of the contract was Cleveland Bridge’s proposal to use the proprietary steel DIWETEN 460+M, supplied by a leading European producer of heavy plate, Dillinger, rather than the S355 weather-resistant grade originally planned.

This weather-resistant and, simultaneously, high tensile strength steel has now been approved for use in Europe, with the new revised editions of the EN 10025, Part 2, to Part 6:2019 series of EU standards.

Digital Edition - February 2021

Thanks to its high mechanical strength and its similar weldability compared to the less mechanically strong S355 grade, this steel permitted significant savings on materials, time and costs. It proved possible, for example, to change the bridge design from its original six-span to a three-span arrangement and thus to shorten the construction time by seven weeks.

Cleveland Bridge, a structural steel engineering company, was founded in 1877 and is based in Darlington. It has more than 250 employees and specializes in the conception, design, production and construction of complex steel structures for bridges, transport infrastructure, urban development projects, energy and the mineral resources industry. The company can thank its high innovative powers and its pronounced talent for technological lateral thinking for its well-earned reputation as a pioneer in bridge engineering: many construction and installation technologies

have been developed here during the course of the company’s 150 years of history. Cleveland Bridge’s best known achievements include the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe, the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, and also The Shard, in London, and the Wembley Arch, spanning Wembley Stadium. The company is, therefore, a solution partner much in demand for apparently insurmountable civil engineering challenges. Located on a site of 22 hectares and offering 27,000 m2 of covered workspace, Cleveland Bridge is renowned for its approach to sustainability.

An award-winning manufacturer, its environmental commitments are reflected in the company’s production processes www.steeltimesint.com

INFRASTRUCTURE

An aerial view of Cleveland Bridge‘s 27,000 square metre fabrication hall in Darlington, United Kingdom

and its selection of materials and suppliers.

Since 2000, Cleveland Bridge, with its annual production capacity of 50kt, has been part of the Al Rushaid group, a diverse international conglomerate and one of the world’s largest structural steel groups, with its headquarters in Saudi Arabia, some 35,000 employees throughout the group and 150,000 tonnes of production capacity.

Enormous savings Cleveland Bridge’s contract for construction of the Carrington Bridge comprised the fabrication, delivery and installation of the 873 tonnes of the steel structure; along with temporary works required during the installation of the bridge. Worcester’s www.steeltimesint.com

new bridge crosses the River Severn, thus completing the dualling of the Southern Link Road built in 1985. This southern connection between Junction 7 on the M5 motorway and the Powick roundabout had long struggled to cope with the presentday level of traffic of this greatly prospering economic region. The original plans for the bridge envisaged a six-span design, like its predecessor of the same name. At one of the very early meetings with the designers and principle contractor, Cleveland Bridge proposed the use of Dillinger’s DIWETEN 460+M proprietary steel, the aim being to reduce the weight of the design and, at the same time, the construction and installation times. This is made possible by

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this thermomechanically rolled, weatherresistant fine-grained steel, thanks to its 30% higher yield strength compared to S355 grade steel, permitting an analogous reduction in the thickness of the plate used.

The correspondingly thinner plates require smaller welds and thus reduce not only the volume of welding and the consumption of weld filler materials, but also the production and inspection effort. In addition, thanks to its chemical composition, DIWETEN 460+M also provides greater resistance to atmospheric corrosion, meaning that it is permanently maintenance-free and needs neither initial nor repair painting.

Because of its low alloying element content, it also combines these weather resistant properties with extremely good weldability.

This proprietary steel, with its low carbon equivalent (CEV ~ 0.43) needs significantly lower preheat temperatures and preheat times than normalized weather-resistant steels of the same strength. This cuts heating-up and cooling times, and also the entire prefabrication operation. In addition, a low preheat temperature also has beneficial effects on working conditions and occupational safety on-site.

The sum of the benefits – greater throughput, improved workability, lower energy and wage costs, combined with a more slender and sustainable bridge design – speaks for itself. For Dean Baker, senior welding engineer at Cleveland Bridge, who has supervised more than 30 bridges for this company alone, it is the lower reject rate in welding that made this the first choice proprietary steel. According to Baker, “The low CEV cuts the risk of cracking on the welds!” In his view, this qualifies DIWETEN 460+M for use in demanding steel structures such as bridges Digital Edition - February 2021

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Fabricated weathering steel produced at Cleveland Bridge

and high-rise buildings, where especially high standards apply for weldability and mechanical strength. In the design and construction of the Carrington Bridge, the use of this proprietary steel made it possible to reduce weight by 15%, the number of piers from five to two, and also to dispense completely with the use of doubler plates.

The weight savings permitted the use of larger and faster installation units, meaning that fewer transport movements were required, which also had benefits for energy consumption and for the environment.

Thanks to the revised EN 10025, Part 2 to Part 6:2019 series of standards, the thermomechanically rolled DIWETEN steels, developed some time ago by Dillinger, are now approved for use in steel structures throughout Europe. The first example of DIWETEN 460+M being used in the UK was

by Cleveland Bridge in the construction of the Carrington Bridge.

A challenging project This was a landmark project, which also presented several challenges as Dean Baker explained: “Selection of the correct weld filler material is always complicated when you’re using high tensile strength steels.

The weld filler material must be stronger than the steel, to prevent cracking in the weld, and we were obliged to conduct very complicated process tests in advance to use the new steel.” It was also necessary to obtain welding certification for the material, necessitating around 15 different qualifications. “It was a really exhilarating project”, remembers Dan Sowerby, the project manager responsible for the Carrington Bridge. “An extra plate was sent from Dillinger to Cleveland Bridge for Digital Edition - February 2021

tests, which helped us to keep to very tight timescales and successfully complete the extensive process qualification within the eight weeks available”, Sowerby said.

Highly stressed steel girders The 205-metre long bridge is made up of three spans – 64 and 72 metres over land and 69 metres over the river. Its width varies between 12.35 metres at the western end and 16.5 metres at its eastern end, where a slip road from the roundabout joins the two 3.65 metre wide carriageways. The support structure for the reinforced concrete deck on the upper side of the bridge is formed from four series of chords, consisting of two pairs of steel girders fixed together and reinforced with bracing elements. The four main beams also separate the two concrete piers from the deck. Cleveland Bridge used a total of 825 tonnes of DIWETEN 460+M for fabrication of the main beams, diaphragm beams and bracing elements.

Weather resistant S355 was used only for the transverse bracing beams and diagonal braces, and also for the connecting plates.

Dillinger supplied 60 plates of DIWETEN 460+M in thicknesses ranging from 16mm to 50mm, in widths up to 3.43 metres and lengths up to 21.31 metres. Cleveland Bridge subdivided the overall structure into 12 transportable sections of six different lengths. In an initial operation, the beams, flanges and webs were cut and then welded together using automated equipment in a T-configuration for the individual girders.

These individual girders, of varying lengths and weights, were then paired with bracing elements. The production of each girder took around a month. Cleveland Bridge, however, produced up to three of these

girders simultaneously in its gigantic fabrication shops, in which heavy elements of up to 90 tonnes in weight can be handled.

The longest, the heaviest The longest girder for the Carrington Bridge was some 42 metres long, while the heaviest weighed 42 tonnes – an almost everyday affair for Dan Sowerby’s team. The enormous crane systems manipulated the girders into the ideal position in each case, with the result that the fabrication process for the components could be significantly accelerated by means, for example, of www.steeltimesint.com

INFRASTRUCTURE

39

The support structure for the reinforced concrete deck superstructure formed from two pairs of steel girders with steel bracing

Thanks to its high mechanical strength and its similar weldability compared to the less mechanically strong S355 grade, the weather resistant steel DIWETEN 460+M permitted significant savings on materials, time and costs.

Employees reviewing fabrication drawings at

solutions developed by Cleveland Bridge, such as a pontoon and mobile elevated working platforms.

Cleveland Bridge

downward welding positions.

Floods and pandemics Unfortunately, the original installation date of January 2020 was not possible as flooding of the River Severn caused a sixmonth delay, and Covid-19 added a further three months. The bridge is now due to be delivered and installed at its final location in November. To install it the expert team has recommended that two 500-tonne crawler cranes be replaced by a 1,200-tonne strut jib crane to ensure the final pairs of girders, weighing 123 tonne, can be lifted over the river at a radius of 82m. “The original plan www.steeltimesint.com

of lifting the bridge simultaneously using the two smaller cranes would have meant a whole range of drawbacks, including a complicated series of road closures”, is Dan Sowerby’s explanation of this proposal.

“So we looked for a better alternative, and booked this mega-size crane.” In view of site restrictions and of the high voltage cables located in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, Sowerby considered that positioning and operation of the crane would take a lot of skill and finesse.

In addition, bolting together the elements above mid-river at a distance of 25m from the riverbank necessitated logistical

Pole position among the competition Cleveland Bridge’s interim assessment of the project and of its co-operation with Dillinger was correspondingly positive: a relationship of trust that has grown up over many years with Dillinger’s British sales manager has made an important contribution to this, as has the support provided by the steelmaker itself, which for good reason enjoys a reputation as a global quality and technology leader.

“The engineers at Dillinger were of great assistance to us in obtaining the welding qualification”, Dean Baker affirmed. He is also generous with his praise for the on-line tools available for calculation of preheat temperatures: “That’s an excellent service that Dillinger provides, per App and on the company’s website.” And Dan Sowerby adds: “Now that DIWETEN 460+M has been approved, thanks to the revision of the EN 10025 series of standards, our company has built the first bridge in the United Kingdom using this weather-resistant and high tensile strength steel. And we have set a successful example, showing the potentials of this material!”

Senior welding engineer Dean Baker commented: “The Carrington Bridge impressively shows designers the benefits of DIWETEN 460+M in terms of weather resistance, and of time and cost savings”.

According to Baker, “With our welding qualification, we have an important lead over our competitors for future projects, and are in pole position to gain new contracts.” � Digital Edition - February 2021

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STEELMAKING

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Reducing Al consumption in steelmaking An average of a 30% reduction in aluminium use to 4.2kg/t cast steel in steelshop No1 at Rourkela Steel Plant, as well as a cleaner steel, was achieved by modifying the deoxidation treatment by initial use of petroleum coke followed by aluminium during tapping of the BOS and by minimising slag carry over to the ladle followed by minimising aluminium additions for reheating during secondary refinement prior to final temperature adjustment and alloy trim in the ladle furnace. By A Prasad*, K K Keshari*, S Kumar*, M K Singh*, S Roy*, V Kumar*, M Kuma**, A Anat** STEEL Melting Shop No I (SMS-I) at Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Rourkela, India, produces 0.5Mt of various special steels using the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) route.

Post treatment facilities available are vacuum arc/oxygen degassing (VAD/VOD) and a ladle furnace (LF).

Steel is cast by continuous casting (CC). Many special grades such as cold rolled non-oriented (CRNO) electrical steels, low carbon-low alloy WTCR steel, LPG grades, IS 10748 Gr-I are produced in the steel shop and these grades require stringent quality controls, which necessitates a high degree of precise control of operating parameters as well as an immediate response to changes and any interference during production. The majority of grades produced are deoxidised using Al-Si. SMS-I, RSP uses multiple secondary refining facilities for processing special heats. Previously, the metal from the BOF was tapped in an unkilled condition. Deoxidation, major alloying, decarburisation etc are carried out at the VOR (VOD)/VAD station and then the heats sent to a ladle furnace for final chemistry and temperature adjustment.

Chemical heating using aluminium is practiced for temperature raising in the VOR. The steel-shop was facing problems concerning very high aluminium consumption of around 6kg/t of cast steel (tcs). The higher Al consumption was a major problem in controlling the cost of

production as well as maintaining the desired level of cleanliness in the steel. The present work was undertaken to identify the heat processing parameters which were

responsible for the high Al consumption during steelmaking.

This high level of aluminium consumption may be attributed to a high oxygen potential of the tapped steel, poor designing of de-oxidation practice, poor performance of the vacuum refining unit or other causes. Based on identification of critical processing parameters responsible for the high Al consumption, plant trials were carried out with modified deoxidation practice and optimised refining practices to reduce aluminium consumption.

Theoretical considerations Aluminium, in steelmaking, is a powerful deoxidiser as well as an alloying element.

As an alloying element, it is used to increase the toughness of steel by controlling the grain size in the final product. To achieve both functions, an optimum aluminium concentration must be identified.

In terms of deoxidation, excessive aluminium additions not only increase the cost but also adversely affect the steel cleanliness due to the formation of non-metallic inclusions. Thus, a steel production practice with reduced aluminium content is always beneficial[1].

Aluminium dissolves in accordance with the pattern for low melting point ferroalloys because it melts at 660°C. A shell of frozen steel surrounds the liquid aluminium immediately after its addition into the molten steel. To introduce the optimum aluminium concentration with the lowest consumption, it is necessary to define and control the process variables leading to maximum aluminium efficiency.

Theoretical requirement The minimum amount of aluminium required to deoxidize the steel is computed based on the following reaction: 2Al + 3O = Al2O3(s) (1) For pure aluminium and 100% efficiency, the stoichiometric amount of aluminium for steel deoxidation is defined by the following

*Research and Development Centre For Iron and Steel, Steel Authority of India Ltd. **Rourkela Steel Plant, Steel Authority of India Limited. Email: abdhesh@sail.in www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - February 2021

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STEELMAKING

equation: (2 x 27) x (ppm O) x tonne kg Al = 3 x 1000 x 16 = 1.125 1000 χ (ppm O) χ tonne

(2)

The final amount of aluminium must include aluminium for alloying. The following equation indicates a target of 0.030% Al and the fractional efficiency (η).

(See box below for equation 3) The minimum amount of aluminium required to deoxidize the slag is computed based on the concentration of iron oxide: 3(FeO) + 2Al = Al2O3 + 3Fe

(4)

(See box below for equation 5) kg Al = (0.25) x (XFeO) x (Ws)

(6)

where, XFeO and WS represent the fraction of iron oxide and slag weight in kg, respectively.

In this work, efficiency, or recovery, is used to describe the amount of aluminium consumed in the reactions of deoxidation of both steel and slag plus the amount remaining in the liquid steel as soluble aluminium with respect to the total amount of aluminium additions. A larger recovery leads to a lower consumption of aluminium.

Factors affecting Al recovery The main metallurgical factors considered for ferroalloy selection are density, solubility, melting point, size and purity. In the case of aluminium, density has an important effect on the final efficiency. The density of aluminium and liquid steel at 1600°C is 2200 and 7000kg/m3, respectively. The density of aluminium is three times less than liquid steel and is also lower than slags.

This property has a profound influence on aluminium recovery, since aluminium tends to float over the slag where it reacts with

(

Fig 1. Equilibrium Al–FeO base on the initial

Fig 2. Aluminium required to deoxidise liquid steel,

conditions at the ladle furnace

including some residual aluminium

atmospheric oxygen and burns away.

Steel deoxidation[2] is usually focused on the problems associated with the formation of non-metallic inclusions; evidently as aluminium additions into the molten steel increase, the concentration of particles of alumina also increases, affecting not only fluid flow during continuous casting, but also the final mechanical properties of steel; therefore, efforts should also be made to minimise the specific consumption of aluminium.

Fig 1 shows the initial content of iron oxide in the slag and its relationship with the content of initial aluminium. It can be observed that to reach low oxidation conditions after tapping, the concentration of dissolved aluminium should be kept above 0.020%. This practice will yield less than 4% FeO in the slag, provided the holding time is not large and the stirring conditions are controlled to avoid contact of the steel heat with the surrounding atmosphere.

Fig 2[3] summarises the relationship between the specific consumption of aluminium in steel and the oxygen removed from the heat. The dotted lines represent the computations based on the stoichiometric requirements and a percentage of aluminium needed for alloying, considering an efficiency of 100%. The actual results never reach 100% efficiency, which means that part of the

)

1 kg Al/tonne = { 1.125 χ (ppm O) x tonne + 0.30) η 1000

(3)

kg Al = ( 2Al 3Feo

(5)

) kg FeO =( 2χ27 )

Digital Edition - February 2021

3 χ 72

Kg Feo = (0.25) x (kg FeO)

aluminium supplied is wasted or burns away.

Based on Fig 2, equation-7 defines the aluminium required to deoxidize liquid steel, including a certain amount of aluminium for alloying, for the initial conditions of oxidation prevailing in the ladle furnace[3]. kgAl/ tcs = 34 × 10-4[ppm O] + 0.675 (7) where (kg Al)/tcs represents the required amount of aluminium to remove oxygen from liquid steel, and [ppm O] represents the concentration of oxygen in parts per million to be removed from the liquid steel.

The constant, 0.675, represents the residual aluminium in steel.

The concentration of residual aluminium in liquid steel after the addition of aluminium depends on the type of aluminium employed and the oxygen concentration at the time of addition. Fig 3[3] reports the residual aluminium in the steel, for the initial conditions and for the two types of aluminium employed, ie cone or wire. It is observed that for the same amount of aluminium consumed, the residual aluminium is larger when Al wire is employed in comparison with Al cone. This is attributed to a better dissolution process for wire.

To improve Al recovery, slag carry-over is one of the most influential variables. To decrease the consumption of aluminium, both into the liquid steel and into the slag, the initial oxidation conditions should be kept as low as possible. Fig 4[3] is a theoretical approximation to define the requirements of Al-shot as a function of iron oxide and slag weight.

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STEELMAKING

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Si-Mn � 30-60ppm Oxygen.

Problem analysis The steelmaking process employed was observed throughout and the critical process parameters responsible for high aluminium consumption identified, keeping in view the shop logistics, ladle movement, existing secondary steel making (VAR/ VOR) facilities and the LHF operation. The following points emerged during the study:

Fig 3. Aluminium input depending on the amount and

Fig 4. Aluminium shot required for deoxidation as a

type of aluminium

function of slag weight and iron oxide

Equilibrium constant K

Composition range

K at 1600°C

log K

[aAl]2[aO]3

< 1 ppm Al

4.3 x 10-14

-62780/T + 20.17

[aC] [aO]

> 0.02% C

2.0 x 10-3

-1168/T - 2.07

[aMn] [aO]

> 1% Mn

5.1 x 10-2

-14450/T + 6.43

[aSi] [aO]2

> 20 ppm Si

2.2 x 10-5

-30410/T + 11.59

Table 1. Solubility of the products of deoxidation in liquid iron

Dissolved Al/%

Equilibrium dissolved O/ppm

1500°C 1600°C

1700°C

0.01

2.3 10

37

0.02

1.5 6.2

24

0.03

1.1 4.7

18

Table 2. Dissolved Al content and equilibrium dissolved oxygen

160

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120

% Mn % Si 0.4 0.05 0.4 0.50

Si/Mn Al/Si/Mn

O (ppm)

Deoxidation equilibria Deoxidation reactions using different deoxidisers can be described using the deoxidation equilibrium constant. The wide spectrum of deoxidation equilibria pertaining to the most common deoxidants (Al, Si, C & Mn) for steel is summarised in Table 1 as a function of the concentration of oxygen in solution in liquid steel against that of the added elements.

For single element deoxidation, the solubility of oxygen in liquid iron at 1600°C (2912°F) is given as a function of the concentration of the alloying element. In each case, the melt is in equilibrium with the respective pure oxide; eg SiO2, Al2O3 etc.

It can be clearly seen that aluminium is the strongest of the common deoxidisers.

Aluminium, silicon and manganese are the most common deoxidisers used in steelmaking. Silicon and manganese are often used in conjunction with one another.

Dissolved oxygen and aluminium at various

80 Si/Mn 40

0 1500

Al/Si/Mn

1525

1550

1575

1600

Temperature ( ˚C) Fig 5. Deoxidation equilibria with Si/Mn compared with Al/Si/Mn for the deoxidation product saturated with Al2O3

temperatures are shown in Table 2. In Fig 5 we see the effect of different deoxidation levels with varying Si on the dissolved oxygen in the steel. Equilibrium dissolved oxygen content under different killing conditions are: Al killed � 2-3ppm Oxygen,

• High oxygen in the tapped steel: The oxygen potential of tapped steel was in the range of 500 – 900ppm, which is high.

This may be because of a high amount of oxygen blown in the BOF, the use of rusted/wet scrap and oxygen pickup from atmosphere/refractory. The high oxygen in the tapped steel requires greater amounts of de-oxidisers to reduce the oxygen level.

• Excessive use of vacuum oxygen refining (VOR) units: The source of heating in secondary steel making (SSM) units is either electrical heating (arcing) in vacuum arcing refining (VAR) or through oxygen blowing in vacuum oxygen refining (VOR) units. In oxygen heating in VOR, the excess oxygen dissolved in steel during processing needs to be lowered, which further increases the consumption of de-oxidisers such as Al. In conventional practice at Rourkela, the percentage of heats through the VOR is ~65% and remaining heats are processed through the VAR unit. The lower use of VAR is mainly due to the low heating rate (<2°C/min of arcing) and the condition of steel ladles.

If the ladle mouth is not clean then it cannot be routed through VAR because the ladle cover put on the ladle causes malfunctioning of the VAR (eg electrode breakage).

• Inconsistency in the oxygen blowing practice in the VOR: The secondary refining operations and addition pattern varies from operator to operator and addition of Al before the oxygen blow was a common practice without knowing its necessity. This has also resulted a high Al consumption.

• Aluminium addition in the ladle bottom: Due to a reduced number of heats made in SMS-1, the ladle circulation time was very long, occasionally resulting in a cold ladle used for tapping into. Thus, to ensure the porous plug opening, Al was added to the ladle bottom to generate heat. This helped in avoiding freezing of the

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STEELMAKING

Fig 6. Reduction in aluminium consumption in the modified practice

porous plug through chemical heating but resulted in increased Al consumption.

• Operational issues at the ladle heating furnace (LHF): During the study it was observed that Al was added before arcing on a regular basis, resulting in high Al consumption. Arcing in the ladle furnace to adjust the temperature required for casting also results in excessive fading of added aluminium.

Experimental Process changes included redesigning the de-oxidation practice and optimisation of steel refining process parameters in the VAR and VOR units. Changes made were: Addition during tapping: The dissolved oxygen in liquid steel tapped from the BOF is an important parameter. The oxygen mainly dissolves in the steel during oxygen blowing in the BOF and a significant amount of oxygen is also picked up due to open stream tapping of liquid steel from the BOF to the ladle. The consumption of de-oxidisers depends mainly on the oxygen content in the liquid steel. The oxygen potential of the tapped steel was in the range of 600 to 900ppm. To reduce aluminium consumption during the subsequent secondary refining, the oxygen concentration of the steel sent to secondary steelmaking (SSM) needed to be reduced. Thus initial deoxidation by adding petroleum coke, followed by some aluminium, was started during the tapping of the steel from the BOF. The addition of ~50kg of petroleum coke and ~20kg of aluminium was recommended for this purpose. This practice was suggested to be used for all grades of steel except for very low carbon grades, like CRNO and WTCR. Use of VAR: An increase in the use of VAR Digital Edition - February 2021

Fig 7. Aluminium consumption trend in the modified practice

to reduce Al consumption was considered but, due to low heating rate and sometimes ladle condition, the logistics did not permit this so the use of VOR predominates. All efforts are now made to reduce aluminium consumption in the VOR Addition practice in secondary steelmaking (SSM) units: The secondary refining operations and addition pattern varies from shift to shift, and from operator to operator. The correct and uniform practice for deoxidiser addition is to start deoxidation using weaker de-oxidizers moving to stronger ones as deoxidation progresses. In the case of a low steel temperature (<1550°C), the addition of a limited quantity of Al helps to raise the temperature by chemical heating in the VOR, or heating without Al addition in the VAR. Addition of Al and other deoxidisers can be performed after raising the temperature as dictated in the grade’s specific requirement.

Ladle heating furnace operation: After processing the heats they are dispatched to the Ladle Heating Furnace (LHF) awaiting casting. It was observed that after placing the ladle in the transfer car to await LHF treatment, the addition of some loose Aluminium spool /coil were made into the ladle before further operation, was a regular practice. This malpractice also contributed to increases in Aluminium consumption. It was recommended that after receiving the heats into the LHF, the temperature of the iron be raised by arcing followed by addition of Al and other deoxidisers (based on analysis of final VAR/ VOR sample). Subsequently, the addition of Al coil/loose spool just before taking the heats into LHF and prior to arcing in LHF were stopped.

Plant Scale Trials Heats were tapped from the 65t BOF into a ladle. To reduce the oxygen potential of the steel, approximately 50kg of petroleum coke and around 20kg of aluminium were added manually into the ladle during tapping from the BOF. This practice was adopted for all grades of steel except for very low carbon grades CRNO and WTCR. The steel in the ladle was dispatched to the SSM units. The ladle is equipped with a central Argon purging system in the bottom for mixing and homogenisation of the steel bath. It was ensured that this purging plug correctly opened in each of the downstream processes, for example, SSM and LHF, otherwise the heat is to be re-ladled to the other circulation ladle.

In the VOR unit the temperature of the steel in the ladle was designated to keeping in view the actual need for a limited quantity of aluminium to be added before oxygen blowing. For a low input temperature (≤1560°C) the addition of ~50kg of aluminium before oxygen blowing was recommended to increase the temperature of steel through chemical heating which is conducive for decarburisation in the VOR unit. In the case of a sufficiently high temperature (≥1560°C) of the input ladle steel, no addition of aluminium prior to oxygen blow was recommended. Also, for low carbon steel grades such as CRNO and WTCR, a high oxygen blow was suggested for greater decarburisation. In the VAR unit, where arc heating did not require aluminium, no Al addition was recommended. In both these conditions the recommended aim temperature was 1600°C. After the completion of treatment in the secondary steel making units, the steel is sent to the ladle heating furnace (LHF) for further processing. It was strictly www.steeltimesint.com

STEELMAKING

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during arcing and hence arcing duration is decreased. The practice of arcing the heats after the addition of large quantities of aluminium in the VAR was changed. This also helped control Al fading during arcing in the VAR. All the suggested measures in the VAR, VOR and LHF resulted in a decrease in average Al consumption to 4.2kg/t, around 30% compared to the 2018-19 value. �

Fig 8. Effect of initial steel temperature on

Fig 9. Effect of initial steel temperature on specific

treatment time at SSM

aluminium consumption at SSM

recommended that no Al coil or loose spool be added in the LHF before arcing. Also, it was recommended that the temperature be raised by arcing followed by addition of ferro-alloys and de-oxidisers (trimming additions) based on the previous analysis from the VOR/VAR. The aim was for a despatch temperature to the caster of 1590°C for first heat to the caster then 1580°C for the second heat onwards.

Results and discussion: The deoxidising power of aluminium[4-6] is well known as it is used for primary deoxidation of steel in both electric arc and BOF steelmaking. Various deoxidation processes and their effects have been described in detail by Pickering et al[7]. An industrial scale study on deoxidation by aluminium carried out by Bettembourg et al[8] showed that ideally about 1.5kg of aluminium is required for primary deoxidation per tonne of cast steel. The best approach to decrease aluminium consumption is to receive the steel from the primary steelmaking furnace with the lowest possible concentration of both iron oxide and dissolved oxygen. Carry-over slag is one of the main variables to decrease the initial oxidation conditions during tapping of the steel.

Plant trials carried out at SMS-I, RSP, employing the recommendations above totalled 142 heats. The average aluminium consumption achieved was 4.2kg/t in the trial as compared to the 2019-20 shop average of 5.35kg/t (Fig 6).

The majority of the trial heats on Al consumption using the modified process method was in the range of 2 – 6 kg/t with the majority of heats towards the lower of www.steeltimesint.com

these values. In a few heats, consumption was greater than the previous shop average.

Any higher Al consumption (say >7kg/t) may be due to reasons such as a returned heat from LHF, excess slag carry over, slag decanting, slag overflow, purging failure, a reladled heat, low temperature and so on.

Initial deoxidation with petroleum coke helped in decreasing the level of dissolved oxygen in the steel. Others have shown that initial deoxidation with petroleum coke followed by other deoxidisers not only help in reducing the dissolved oxygen in steel (and hence lower consumption of primary deoxidisers) but also helps improve the cleanliness of the steel[9, 10] . Initial deoxidation with pet coke also helps in reducing nitrogen pick up[9]. The deoxidation product in the case of coke is gas, no solid or liquid inclusions are generated in the steel and coke also results in less top slag in the ladle.

The tapping temperature at the BOF was increased as illustrated in Figs 8 & 9. The previous lower temperature of the steel on arrival at secondary steelmaking had not only resulted in increased treatment time during secondary steelmaking but also contributed significantly to greater aluminium consumption due to the need for temperature adjustment by chemical heating in the VOR. Measures to reduce slag carryover from the BOF to the ladle were taken.

The deoxidation practice was designed in such a way that the addition of a small quantity of petroleum coke and Al bar during tapping the steel from the BOF did not fully kill the steel prior to its arrival at the SSM units. Some dissolved oxygen in the steel improves the heating effacing

Acknowledgement The authors thank the management of Rourkela Steel Plant and R & D Centre for Iron and Steel, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Ranchi, for their support.

References 1. Stolte, G. Secondary Metallurgy: Fundamentals, Processes and Applications.

Verlag Stahleisen GmbH: Dusseldorf, 2002; 146 pp.

2. Fruehan, R.J. Ladle Metallurgy Principles and Practices; Iron and Steel Society: USA, 1985.

3. A. N. Conejo and D. E. Hernández, “Optimization of Aluminium Deoxidation Practice in the Ladle Furnace”, Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 21: 796–803, 2006 4. A. Ghosh, Principles of Secondary Processing and Casting of Liquid Steel, 1990 5. T Saeki, T Nlsug, K Ishikura, Y Igaki and T. Hiromoto “Development of Oxygen Sensors and Their Application in Steelmaking Operations”, Transactions of the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, 1978, 18(8), pp.501-509.

6. Pierre GS, Blackburn RD, “The relationship between first-order interactions and oxide solubilities in liquid iron” Trans Met Soc AIME. 1968 Jan;242(1):2-4.

7. Pickering FB, “Production and Application of Clean Steel”, Int. Cont. 1970, Jun:23-6.

8. Bettembourg JP, DieudonnéJ GJ., “Study of deoxidation by aluminum on an industrial scale”, International Conference on Production and Application of Clean Steels. London: The Iron and Steel Institute 1970 (pp. 59-67).

9. Kloppers C, Fedotova T. “Primary deoxidation of Basic Oxygen Furnace steel by means of carbon”, Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

2001 Oct 1;101 (7):321-8.

10. Kumar S, Keshari KK, Gupta A, Prasad A, Kumar V, Mishra B, Abhishek K. Improvement in Castability of Al-Killed Steel in Billet Casters

by Process Optimization. Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals. 2020 Jan 1;73(1):243-9.

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SPECIAL STEELS

Effective against aggressive media One of the most important things needed when developing new oil and gas fields are tools which work reliably in great depths under the sea. The problem is that these tools are subjected to rock formations of varying hardness and aggressive media, necessitating special high strength steels which also exhibit a high corrosion resistance. This combination of properties proves to be a challenging proposition, says Merlin Seifert*

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke has developed a stainless steel that increases process reliability in the oil and gas extraction field and that steel is Corrodur 4418 Mod.

WHETHER for enhancing effectiveness in a car’s powertrain, extracting oil and gas safely and reliably or increasing the durability of components in the aerospace sector, the use of special long steel is indispensable in many industries. Finished machined mandrel bars, for example, made from hot work tool steel and in

lengths of up to 26m, are used in mills that manufacture seamless tubes and pipes for the oil and gas industry. Other applications for long steel products in the field of oil and gas extraction are drill collars and rotors in the drive unit and power section of subsea drill strings.

Special long steel generally allows a

high product differentiation, yet requires extensive expertise – especially in the highly sensitive area of oil and gas exploration. The drilling fluids used here often contain sour gas and chlorides. These aggressive media constantly attack the extraction equipment, particularly at increased temperatures. The reaction with the steel in use can lead to

* Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Digital Edition - February 2021

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SPECIAL STEELS

pitting and stress corrosion in the worst case. To prevent restrictions or even failure of the equipment, only exclusive materials are approved by oil and gas companies.

Good resistance to pitting and stress corrosion is frequently required in this respect, combined with a strength that allows users a certain amount of freedom in terms of component design.

The steadily increasing requirements on the material properties lead to ongoing research and development of materials in order to counter corrosion in particular. The focus often lies on coatings or modified alloy compositions. For instance, the rotors already mentioned are tungsten carbide or hard chrome-plated in order to improve wear and corrosion resistance.

Coatings can totally change the properties of a component though sometimes well adapted to its requirements. As described above, alloy development is always subject to certain limits with regard to the desired combination of different properties. While coating processes, such as hard chromeplating, often generate considerable additional costs, alloy development represents a more cost-effective alternative. Another feasible alternative is the application-oriented qualification of materials. Here, the conditions encountered during use are analysed and transferred to appropriate laboratory tests.

If a steel passes the tests required for the qualification process, it can be approved for certain applications or customers. This was also carried out at Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (DEW) for the special steel, Corrodur 4418 Mod, which has to comply with requirements from the industry standards NORSOK M-650 and NACE MR0175.

Controlled heat treatment Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, part of the SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH Group, offer a wide portfolio of steel qualities for the oil and gas exploration sector. These include low and high-alloyed structural steels, ferritic, martensitic, high-alloyed austenitic and duplex stainless steels as well as non-magnetic steels. Corrodur 4418 Mod (also known as Super 13Cr) DEW is now qualified as a stainless steel and is widely used in completion tools in the oil and gas exploration industry. This involves a material solution that exceeds conventional chrome steels in terms of performance. The required properties are specifically set by means of a controlled heat treatment. The result www.steeltimesint.com

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Mechanical properties of Corrodur 4418 Mod measured in the tensile test depending on finished diameter.

Source: Deutsche Edelstahlwerke

is an extremely high-performance steel characterized by high strength, outstanding toughness and good resistance to pitting and stress corrosion. With a tensile strength of at least 125 ksi (862 MPa), a yield strength of at least 110 ksi (758 MPa) and a toughness of at least 60 ft-lbs (81 J) at 14 °F (-10 °C), Corrodur 4418 Mod is far superior to conventional 13% chrome steels.

Performance advantage These properties were determined by extensive laboratory tests. The steel was austenitized between 1778 and 1886 °F (970 - 1030 °C) and then quenched in water. Tempering was subsequently carried out at 1022 to 1202 °F (550 - 650 °C). The best compromise between strength and ductility was achieved in the temperature range between 1076 and 1106 °F (580 - 630 °C). This temperature range was confirmed in real life during the heat treatment of bars, proving that the required properties are also met by industrial heat treatment in continuous furnaces.

The test results for Corrodur 4418 Mod were impressive in terms of its corrosion properties. Extensive tests found no signs of inter-crystalline corrosion according to ASTM A 262 Prac. A and Prac. E, as was expected. In addition, tests performed according to NACE TM0177 and NACE TM0316 regarding sulphide-induced stress

cracking (SSC) and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) using application-oriented media were passed successfully. This enabled the steel to be qualified by Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil ASA) as well as a growing number of other end-consumers.

At the beginning of 2020, DEW presented its new special steel at the Corrosion Conference & Expo, the world’s biggest trade fair for solutions to prevent corrosion. More than 6,000 corrosion experts from 60 countries visited the exhibition in Nashville/Tennessee, USA, including scientists, engineers and technicians, but also purchasers, meaning the new steel and its qualification could be presented at all levels of the supply chain. � For further information, log on to www.dew-stahl.com

Merlin Seifert

Digital Edition - February 2021

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HISTORY

Trade Union banners depict UK steelworks The Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society has published a book of 11 paintings depicting UK steelworks of the 1920s. Painted by artist Herbert Finn, seven of these were painted in large format onto silk to create Trade Union banners. By Dr. Tim Smith* TO commemorate this portrayal of steelmaking 100 years ago, the Newcomen Society has posted five of the illustrations on its web site, along with short

descriptions of the technologies.

One of those illustrated here, ‘Ironworks with two blast furnaces’ shows molten iron being tapped into pig beds. Remarkably,

these are in the open air, which must have led to some excitement after rain! The furnaces have mechanical charging for ore, coke and limestone by inclined hoist and

The book ‘The Banner of the Steel Workers Union’, compiled by the late Jake Almond, contains all 11 illustrations and is available, for £10 including post and packing, by emailing info@cias-teesside.uk.

Five pictures have been selected for the Newcomen web site and can be viewed at www.newcomen.com/ steelmaking-technology-trade-unionbanner/ The commentary is written

by Jonathan Aylen, former president of the Newcomen Society, and a past regular contributor to Steel Times International.

* Consulting Editor STI

HISTORY

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Above: Pack mill rolling plate for tinning Right: Two blast furnaces with pig iron casting bed Left: Puddling iron in a reverberatory furnace

a ‘merry go round’ method for returning the empty hoppers. It is not apparent what type of system is used to distribute the charge into the furnace. The nearest furnace has single chamber cowper hot blast stoves. Similar furnaces were present at DK Roheisen und Recycling in Duisburg, Germany, although using a pig casting machine by this time.

Also illustrated is the rolling of plate for tinplate in a steam-driven cross-country pack mill. The presence of a woman ‘opener’ in the picture reflects their role in separating the sheets of iron after rolling. Hot metal was passed through the mill, progressing into packs as reduction proceeded. This was achieved by folding over the ever-lengthening sheets and was necessary to achieve the thin gauges required in such mills that had no back-up rolls to reduce roll deflection. Most such mills were two-high with the hot sheet fed into the roll bite by the ‘rollerman’ and returned to him by the ‘behinder’ who grabbed it with tongs and passed it back over the top of the mill stand. At each pass the roll gap was reduced until the sheet was long enough to be folded across its width at the half way point by the ‘doubler’ who then squeezed the fold flat in the ‘squeezer’ ready to pass through the mill again. During a series of passes and reheats, this doubling was carried out three times to give a pack of eight sheets, which were trimmed along all four edges and separated by the ‘Opener’ prior to pickling in acid and cleaning ready for hot dip tinning.

Another picture is of crucible

steelmaking, a method developed by Huntsman in Sheffield in 1740 to produce a more homogenous steel from cemented bar. Cementation was a method of reintroducing carbon into refined low carbon flat bar by packing the bars in sealed chests along with carbon bearing materials and heating these for several days to enable carbon to diffuse into the metal to produce steel, but with a strong carbon gradient. Huntsman melted this steel in clay pots, which was then poured into moulds to form ingots of more homogenous steel.

This led to Sheffield becoming pre-eminent in the cutlery industry – the word ‘cutlery’ including any cutting instrument. Examples of both types of furnace have been preserved in Sheffield today.

Another illustration shows puddling of cast iron pigs to wrought iron and illustrates the arduous and strenuous working conditions of the time.

Puddling used coal as the fuel in a reverberatory furnace, so separating the charge from the fuel to prevent contamination, and replaced the use of more costly charcoal hearths. The most widely adopted processing was that developed by Henry Cort in 1783 and improved by him the following year.

The fifth illustration is again a cross country mill but this time, as evidenced by the switchgear on the gantry above, driven by an electric motor, a pioneering power source for a mill in 1920 replacing steam power. A DC cumulative compound motor would be used to deliver high starting torque and variable speed control. � Digital Edition - February 2021

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