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By Gustavo Borges Tiboni

The erosive wear caused by the impact of solid particles against a surface is a tribological phenomenon present in many segments of the industry, such as transportation, aerospace, mining, power generation, among others. The most usual method to set the wear rate is by measuring the mass loss of the material. In order to apply one technique with potential to determine the rate of erosion wear, this study developed a dedicated equipment and conducted preliminary erosion tests monitored by non-destructive testing known as acoustic emission technique (AE). This can be defined as a technique able to detect mechanical waves generated by the release of elastic energy accumulated in the material. Erosion tests were performed in order to evaluate the ability of equipment to collect data from AE and to correlate these data with the wear of the samples. Samples of low carbon steel eroded by the impact of angular aluminum oxide particles suspended in air at three different velocities: 45, 57 and 67 m/s. The impact angle between the particles and the sample was set at 30 degrees and the test temperature at approximately 20°C. The wear rate has changed with the velocity in accordance with the kinetic energy of the particles and the AE parameter RMS showed sensitivity to the variation of particle impact velocity and to the wear of the sample eroded. The rate of AE signals collected over time correlated with the flow of particles striking the sample, and with the parameters of energy, rise time and duration of the signal.

Jul 31, 2018

By Ron Webber

With the difficult economic challenges currently facing the steel industry, it is essential to perform a complete analysis when determining which rolls to purchase. A properly designed “Total Cost of Ownership” model can result in significant savings. This paper will review the costs associated with rolls in both Hot Strip and Cold Strip Mills. The multitude of factors that must be considered in performing a complete analysis for the roll purchasing process will be discussed. Models for both Hot Strip and Cold Mills will be presented. Examples where traditional analysis can lead to expensive, incorrect decisions will be presented.

Oct 30, 2017

By Michaela Böberl

State of the art sinter coolers are working based on the cross flow cooling principle. Thus, only a part of the thermal energy can be used for heat recovery application. The other part of the cooling air is brought unused to the environment. Furthermore, environmental regulation regarding dust emission and intelligent usage of exergy are getting stronger. Therefore, Primetals Technologies developed sinter coolers based on the counter flow principle. The cooling air passes the sinter bed in counter-flow direction enabling a direct heat transfer from the hot sinter to the air. The exhaust gas temperature can be maximized by using the total heat of the hot sinter. Due to the possible usage of the total exhaust gas amount, diffusive dust emission is reduced to zero. Two types of counter flow coolers are in the portfolio of Primetals Technologies. One type is based on a stationary shaft, in which the hot sinter is charged. The flow of the hot sinter is in vertical direction from top to bottom, in counter direction than the cooling air. The second type is a circular hopper cooler. The hot sinter is charged on top of a moving bed. At the bottom of the bed the sinter is discharged. The cooling air flows also from the bottom to the top, following the counter flow principle. Depending on the requirements, one of the two counter flow cooler types can be chosen for optimized and efficient cooling of hot sinter..

Oct 30, 2017

By Ivan César Lopes Diniz, César Romero Afonso Goulart Júnior

Mandrels are tools applied to manufacturing seamless tubes. In VSB plants (Vallourec Soluções Tubulares do Brasil), it is used in two mills. Mandrel and PQF Mills. This is an expensive tool due its alloy (hot work tool steel – AISI H13) and lengh (between 12 meters and 22,5 meters). An opportunity to apply mandrels from PQF in Mandrel Mill has been identified. However, mechanical properties of PQF mandrels must be improved. This work presents the heat treatment process of Quenching and Tempering developed internally at VSB to improve PQF mandrel properties aiming to achieve Mandrel Mill requirements. Hardness and metallography tests were performed before and after some steps of the heat treatment to characterize and validate the process.

Oct 5, 2019

By Rogério Martins Pereira, Charles Pierri de Souza, Lucas Gabriel Correa

The Tandem Cold Mill is composed by stands with rolls positioned so that the rolling force can be transmitted to the strip being processed. Due to the mechanical stresses inherent in the process, the roll bearings are heated and are equipped with lubrication and cooling systems. Nevertheless, there is the challenge of continuously monitoring the temperature of the bearings, which would allow preventive intervention in case of overheating. This paper presents an in-house solution to temperature measuring system applied to the backup roll bearings of a continuous Tandem Cold Mill. The system uses Zigbee technology and is integrated with the main control system, allowing early diagnosis of bearing heating and proper intervention. Results and features of the system are discussed.

Oct 1, 2019

By Lesli Peterson

Spraying Systems Co® has continued to develop and evolve descale nozzles through the years. The most recent addition to the descale nozzle line, the DescaleJet® Pro, provides more impact and a more uniform distribution than previous descale nozzles. The improved performance has been achieved through multiple design changes such as a smoother approach, updated vane design and improved carbide orifice. In addition to providing improved spray performance the nozzle also lasts longer than previous versions. The new technology has been thoroughly tested in the lab using impact measurements and accelerated wear testing. In addition to lab testing the nozzle has provided improved performance and longer wear life for those that have made the change to the new technology. The new nozzle technology and the benefits to the rolling mill will be discussed.

Jul 30, 2018

By José Aparecido Pereira

The customer asked for a 5” angle roll pass design. For this angle, in a normal pass design, a 160mm billet is required. For the production of this billet would be necessary a new 160mm mold for the Continuous Casting Machine, which produces 150mm billets, increasing the complexity of the melt shop. The rolling mill is designed to produce angles up to 4", technical information recommended the replacement of a gearbox because this process would generate torque up to 15% above nominal. An innovative roll pass design was done using 150mm billet using the Aparecido-W Method that cause a higher spread in the first three passes, thus reaching the desired leg length. As this method is not used in any other known rolling mill, a FES (Finite Element Simulation) and FEM (Finite Element Modeling) was done by a Research & Development center which demonstrated that the design was viable. From July, 2018, three tests were done being produced around 700 t of good quality products without difficulty of set up. The rolling mill team carried out this project at a very low cost and in record time of five months. The average torque of the motors was 36%, without overload for the equipment.

Oct 1, 2019

By Richard Harvey, Robert Paul Mawer

In recent times there has been an increase in the demand from Steel plants for a technology that offers the most economical environmentally sustainable solution. In terms of blast furnace off gas cleaning this has seen a drive towards Cyclone technology replacing the older Dustcatchers. Cyclone technology can achieve dust removal efficiencies as high as 95% increasing the dust yield at the primary stage of gas cleaning. The dry dust (rich in Fe and C) can then be recycled to the Sinter Plant or Blast Furnace. Capture of dust at this stage also has the benefit that sludge generation from the secondary stage is also reduced meaning less waste to landfill and / or recovery of some of the by-products for further use. Primetals Technologies already offer a state of the art Tri-Axial Cyclone installed on many sites world-wide, however, this paper focuses on a hybrid of this technology, the DustClone. The DustClone is a low CAPEX unit that is essentially a Cyclone housed inside the Dustcatcher. This unit is aimed at operators who may be carrying out smaller scaled shutdowns / repairs that normally have a reduced CAPEX. This paper describes the technology that Primetals Technologies have developed.

Oct 1, 2019

By John Anthony Vasquez

During the last years Riva Acciaio Verona has taken the decision to invest in the route of a fully automated meltshop. The aim is to reduce at the minimum the operator's intervention from the bucket preparation till the ladle transfer to the continuous casting bay. The foundation for achieving the goal is the introduction of innovative technological solutions (fully automated cranes for bucket charge in the EAF, robots for sampling, etc. The paper underlines how the different solutions are based on the best practices to improve operator's safety and describes the different steps of the project, the different solutions adopted and the results in terms of production, energy savings, cost reduction and improved safety. Details are presented for: scrap yard management and bucket preparation, EAFs centralized controls and related robots for auxiliary operations (sampling, EBT cleaning, scraper for slag door automation, complete mass & energy balance based on process control), LFs centralized controls and process integration.

Aug 16, 2017

By Josef Maierl

For the production of advanced high strength steel grades (AHSS) like API X80/X100, dual-phase, martensitic and complex-phase grades a number of hot strip mills need to extend their limits in terms of power and flexibility. Especially for cooling and coiling of these new materials, Primetals Technologies developed the “Power Cooling” and “Power Coiling” technologies. Power Cooling combines the advantages of conventional laminar cooling or “low pressure cooling” with the newly developed “high pressure cooling” with highest cooling rates for flexible operation. The Power Coiler which is needed to coil those high strength grades especially at thicker gauges ensures reliable strip-coiling for a most economical production. To enhance the reliable production of high-strength steel grades for a wide range of strip dimensions, the automation system with its advanced models is an integral part to the mechanical design. In this context the paper presents examples for the installation of power cooling and power coiling in new and modernized HSM.

Aug 16, 2017

By Renata Cristina Teixeira

The lubricant oil is a complex mixture of different basestocks and additives. Engine oils evolved from the use of pure mineral basestocks back in the early years of automotive industry to the advent of synthetic, fully formulated, low ash lubricants. This evolution was driven by a number of factors, such as new engine designs, extended durability needs, increased fuel economy needs, environmental concerns, feedstock prices and availability and legal issues. This paper uses technology prospecting on literature and patents databases to allow an investigation on the historical evolution of engine oils. Main basestocks (mineral, hydrotreated, polyalphaolefins, esters) and additives (antioxidants, antiwear, friction modifiers, detergents and dispersants) are characterized according to their research effort. Technology prospecting data is crosschecked against the evolution of engine oil classes, allowing an analysis of how the main drivers push the development of lubricant oil quality. A research effort was identified in late 1990’s until mid-2000’s and related to the adoption of chemical limits for lubricants. Different patterns for the articles and patents publication account for the high value technological knowledge has in this industry. Technology prospecting is seen as a useful methodology for the understanding and forecast of lubricant technology movements.

Jul 31, 2018

By Detlef Ehlert

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

Jul 30, 2018

By Filippo Verlezza

Conventional wire rod blocks have some limitations. They can only roll with fixed reduction ratios which always require the same rolling diameters within the block. With MEERdrive® SMS, as a pioneer, has introduced an innovative drive concept for wire rod blocks that can overcome the limitations of conventional solutions. The clue: the concept is based on individual drives for each stand position. The exigent wire rod market demand and the available technology melt in a new variant of MEERdrive®, the MEERdrive®PLUS, which represents a sizing block solution for finished size rolling and allows conventional as well as thermomechanical rolling. Further “one family rolling” is also possible, since all roll / size changes will occur in this block.

Oct 30, 2017

By Edo Engel

Hot Blast Stove Technology has been developed to such an extent that low cost hot metal production for over 30 years without major repairs has become achievable, making the decision for a campaign length between 5 to over 30 years a design choice for the plant owner/operator. Some of the earlier examples of designs capable of such long campaign lengths are currently close to the 50th year of their running campaign. These examples are found especially in Europe and North America. Along the duration of these campaigns, repairs to subsystems such as burners, hot blast outlets etc. may be required. Depending on a plant’s up and down stream production capacities, the repairs may have to take place in the shortest possible time frame to minimize production loss. This article discusses an approach for intermediate repairs, executed while keeping the majority of the system at operating temperature.

Oct 30, 2017

By Jean-Philippe Houde

The Blast Furnace Campaign lifetime is highly depending on the wear progress of the hearth lining. This progress is monitored in general through single and double thermocouples at the cold side of the lining. This type of monitoring becomes ineffective as soon as heat resistance will be formed in the refractory lining. Paul Wurth’s monitoring system, consisting of MTP-Sensor and Heat Flux Probes, is able to identify such heat resistances to give a true hearth lining wear. Since last year Paul Wurth is also able to install safely those MTP-Sensor and Heat Flux Probes on running blast furnace without salamander tapping, thanks to a newly developed cooled core drilling device. Blast Furnaces that are equipped with Paul Wurth’s monitoring system have optimized their campaign lifetime as they received right information upon the true wear lining such as detection of heat flux transfer failure, detection and monitoring of brittle layer or detection of hot spot.

Aug 16, 2017

By Álvaro Lúcio

This paper outlines the DPC process as na economic and environment friendly option for the use of cultivated forest as a source of raw material for metallurgical charcoal.The DPC process was specially developed to bring logistic, environmental, technical, economic and global energy efficiency when compared to termal1 the existing biomass carbonization process. The DPC process utilizes the volatile materials (condensable and non condensable) as a source of the energy required by the carbonization process guarantying its complete combustion. As result the DPC process avoids the burning of termal1 the loaded wood, obtaining a higher charcoal to biomass yield, and avoids the emission to the atmosphere of polluting gases. Gases emitted by the carbonizing wood have na energy termal1e enough to dry the wood soon after its harvesting. By avoiding the storage in the field during na average of 150 days, the resulting economy is quite significant. As a termal1e1 the higher charcoal to biomass yield na termal1e1e economy is obtained through the reduction of the cultivated forest term. This paper emphasizes the economic advantages of the DPC process.

Aug 16, 2017

By Erich Bartel

The Kocks Rotation Mill - KRM- is an innovative elongation method for seamless tube production up to 4.5’’ diameter at production levels up to150,000 TPY. Using the principle of cross roll elongation, the machine rotates four rolls around the workpiece. A retained mandrel sets the wall thickness to a precision that exceeds existing industry norms. The KRM process performance has been truly excellent. Attributes include high billet weights, elongation of up to 9.5 in one pass, and eccentricity at or below +/- 5.0%. The flexibility of the process allows a wide range of steel grades to be produced at any wall thickness with little or no mill down time. Surface quality and yield are also greatly improved. Based upon the small foot print of the KRM rotor as well as the simple mandrel manipulation system, the installation cost of the KRM is significantly lower compared to other elongation methods. The reasonable cost of the machine, combined with greatly reduced foundation requirements, reduced ceiling height as well as simple utility connections reduce the initial investment for a new or upgraded mill. Finally, lower roll and mandrel costs allow high quality production at greatly reduces cost/ton.

Aug 16, 2017

By Paul Riches

LR Process Expert is a cost-efficient process automation system for all types of long rolling mills, including, rod, bar, section, rail, reversing mills, and flat blocks. The system performs a wide range of tasks for optimized operation – from suggesting pass schedules to calculating and downloading optimized mill settings according to the availability of rolls. LR Process Expert also monitors and collects data from the raw material stage through to the finished product. It delivers valuable mill reports to the operator staff and management so they can easily assess a plant’s performance and optimize production. Defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help to assess a plant’s performance; this system is not limited to one plant but can enable plant-toplant performance at corporate level.

Aug 16, 2017

By Fernando Ruiz Díaz

En aplicaciones a elevadas temperaturas como por ejemplo en cámaras de combustión y toberas de vehículos aeroespaciales se requiere el uso de aleaciones que permitan una elevada extracción de calor y buenas propiedades mecánicas. En este trabajo se realiza un análisis comparativo de las aleaciones Cu-Cr-Zr y Cu-Ag-Zr. Las mismas fueron sometidas a ensayos de resistividad eléctrica entre 25ºC y 700ºC y de tracción a 150ºC, 450ºC y 700ºC. Los resultados de los ensayos de resistividad eléctrica fueron convertidos a conductividad térmica mediante la relación de Wiedemann- Franz. A través de este análisis se observa que la aleación con mejor conductividad térmica es la de Cu-Ag-Zr presentando además un cambio de fase que no es observado en la aleación Cu-Cr-Zr. Respecto al ensayo de tracción la aleación Cu-Cr-Zr presenta mayores valores de resistencia a la tracción y tensión de fluencia a las temperaturas estudiadas.

Aug 16, 2017

By Mario Andres Albuja Ribadeneira

El presente trabajo pretende encontrar la ruta para incrementar la productividad y reducir el costo de transformación en una acería eléctrica, mediante el uso de la tecnología disponible en el mercado. El método para alcanzar los resultados se enfocan en una drástica reducción de los tiempos de transformador conectado (power-on), los tiempos de transformador apagado (power-off) asi como la reducción en los consumos de las materias primas e insumos para la fabricación de acero por la ruta del horno eléctrico. La experiencia de Adelca arroja resultados que sobrepasan el 100% de productividad y 30% de reducción en el costo de transformación de la palanquilla. Los resultados obtenidos sin duda alguna servirán de una guía probada para quienes buscan un mejor desempeño en el negocio del acero.

Aug 16, 2017