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By Stefan Thelen

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

Aug 16, 2017

By Franco Gandin

With increasing demands for highly performing and at the same time efficient and running-costs saving vacuum-degassing equipment, dry mechanical pumps have been confirmed a proper choice to completely fulfill the expectations of steel-making companies worldwide. Regarding the production of both special carbon steel and stainless steel grades, the usage of mentioned pumps allowed reaching simultaneous remarkable results from different viewpoints in various Danieli worldwide installations (treating up to 200 t of liquid steel). As a matter of fact, in front of the replacement of a widely spread and renowned technology such as steamejector pumps with the recently developed technology embodied by the dry mechanical pumps, well-established metallurgical performances in terms of carbonhydrogen- nitrogen-sulphur removal have been repeatedly attained while meeting at the same time the client’s expectations concerning, for example, running-costs and push-button availability. Additionally, thanks to the very flexible, modular, redundant and maintenance-friendly equipment design, random problems occurring to the singular mechanical pumps can be easily solved without affecting the VD-VOD plant availability and metallurgical performance. With a particular regard to the VOD process, a very short overall process-time has been repeatedly performed (averagely less than 58min under-vacuum time at ChMP1) while guaranteeing the expected required quality of the final refined stainless steel. Moreover, in several VOD installations (ranging from 6 t up to 110 t of liquid steel) an efficient automatic process control such as dynamic pressure-regulation during oxygen-blowing has been attained thanks to the controllable variable-speed drives with which each mechanical pump is provided.

Aug 17, 2017

By Anand Kumar Agrawal, Kinzel Klaus Peter, Lorenzo Micheletti, Cristiano Castagnola, Horst Kappes, Andre Oliveira, Björn Rösner, Philippe Bermes

Blast furnaces are widely employed today for iron production all around the world, with a total production of around 1.2 billion tons per year. Its operating principle, which relies on usage of coke to reduce the ore, to ensure the permeability in the reaction vessel, to maintain its flexibility of operation and acceptability for varying qualities of iron ores. The blast furnace route is widely considered as the most economic and efficient route of iron production, however it is based on fossil energy carriers. The blast furnace route has undergone significant developments in terms of energy efficiency in the last decades, which led to a substantial reduction in the use of fossil reduction materials. Being an energy intensive process, competitiveness and cost saving in the blast furnace plant was always strongly related to the saving of energy and hence reduction of CO2 emissions. In addition to this, EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) as a cornerstone of the EU's policy in response to climate change has set new “challenges” for iron production in Europe. Paul Wurth has always been deeply involved in the development of energy saving technologies for blast furnaces. In the following a review of energy saving achievements developed in the last decades will be presented and the potential of available CO2 saving technologies will be summarized. Additionally, an outlook about the potential of future technologies, concepts and their impact on the blast furnace and the steel plant’s energy balance will be discussed. Finally, the replacement of carbon by hydrogen as reduction agent in the steel plant will be reviewed, with special focus on a comparison of costs and incentives.

Oct 1, 2019

By Huang Qiming

The CISDI-GreenEAF innovatively applies the top-side-chute for charging for improving the cold zone of electric-arc furnace (EAF) requiring preheating scrap. It can greatly reduce the operating power consumption during EAF melting by combined use of fume for preheating scrap. The enclosed charging mode and specially-designed structure contribute to less emission of dust and fume during charging while enhancing the metal yield. Thanks to the extraordinary fume temperature control at scrap preheating procedure and fume quenching technology as developed by CISDI, for restraining the regeneration of dioxin.

Oct 30, 2017

By Cleber Caetano Thomazi

Rotary kilns are continuous process equipment used on calcining of nickel ore. The chemical and physical reactions are created by means of heat up the material to predetermined temperatures. Tertiary air fans are attached to the kiln shell to maintain oxidizing/reduction conditions. Special ducts orientate the air flow inside the kiln. In the present work, two types of failure on distinct tertiary ducts mounted on the same kiln are reported. Chemical analysis, hardness test, metallographic and fractographic examinations were carried out. Fabrication related problems and creep were identified as the root causes of damages.

Oct 30, 2017

By Franco de Castro Bubani

Cu-base alloys (Cu-Zn-Al, Cu-Al-Be, Cu-Al-Ni), depending on their composition, have martensitic transformations that can be thermally or mechanically induced between a metastable structure called austenite and one or more metastable structures called martensites. In single crystals, depending on the specific composition of the alloy and the crystallographic orientation of the tensile axis, martensite-martensite transformations can be mechanically induced. The hysteresis associated to these martensite-martensite transitions is usually much greater than the one associated to the austenite-martensite transformation. Thus, martensite-martensite transitions are potential candidates for energy dissipation in a mechanical damper. Possible applications that would benefit from high hysteresis include seismic damping devices, dampers for satellites and the aerospace industry, defense and others. We present pseudoelastic cycling results of alloys submitted to different thermal treatments. Our conclusions highlight the fact that, under certain conditions, Cu-base alloys deliver better damping performance than commercially available SMAs and even the new Fe-base SMAs.

Aug 7, 2018

By Wagner Angelo da Silva

A crescente demanda por energia elétrica nas aeronaves modernas pode ser constatada pelo aumento da potência elétrica gerada a bordo, como exemplo o Boeing 787 produz 1000kVA, 200V trifásico, 400Hz variável contra 240kVA, 200V trifásico, 400Hz fixo produzido pelo Airbus A330, apesar de possuírem aproximadamente as mesmas dimensões. Devido à necessidade de redução de massa de transformadores, a frequência utilizada na geração de eletricidade na aeronave é de 400Hz o que acaba produzindo um aumento das perdas em núcleos de FeSi destes transformadores, principalmente pelo aumento das correntes parasitas no núcleo. Transformadores elétricos com núcleos de ligas amorfas a base de Fe vêm apresentando redução de até 70% das perdas no núcleo quando operados em 50Hz ou 60Hz. Assim, esse estudo visa discutir as vantagens e desvantagens do uso de transformadores elétricos com núcleos de ligas amorfas a base de Fe em aeronaves. Os resultados mostram que, com o desenvolvimento de novas ligas, tal utilização mostra-se viável devido a uma redução de peso de tais transformadores.

Aug 8, 2018

By Júlia Guimarães Sanches

O curso de Engenharia de Minas sofreu uma expansão, juntamente com todo o ensino superior no país, por volta de 2005. O objetivo do presente estudo é avaliar as características dos cursos do país e realizar uma comparação com cursos de outros países com grande produção mineral. Foi feito um levantamento inicial a partir de informações disponíveis nos sites do MEC, INEP e das universidades. Como complemento, realizou-se um questionário com os coordenadores dos cursos de Engenharia de Minas do Brasil. Foram compilados ainda dados relativos à estrutura curricular e carga horária dos cursos de Engenharia de Minas dos EUA, Canadá, Austrália, Chile e África do Sul. Em relação à comparação das grades curriculares com os cursos de outros países, observou-se que no Brasil o curso possui uma maior cara horária de Tratamento de Minérios em detrimento da lavra. Nos demais países estudados, o foco das disciplinas é a lavra, já que nestes países a área de Tratamento de Minérios é assunto de outras Engenharias.

Oct 30, 2017

By Gustavo Henrique Bolognesi Donato

Ensaios de curva R (J vs. ?a – crescimento dúctil de defeitos) e de propagação de trincas por fadiga (da/dN vs. ?K) são balizados por normas como a ASTM E1820, ISO 12135 e E647, as quais exigem dimensões mínimas para as amostras C(T) ou SE(B) a fim de garantir condições SSY e portanto a validade de K e J. Entretanto, tais exigências usualmente conduzem a dimensões expressivas que dificultam a retirada de amostras de chapas finas ou mesmo de muitas estruturas reais. Como alternativa, estudos de Koppenhoefer e Dodds (1998) e mais recentemente de Shin e Lin (2012) indicaram a possibilidade de uso de amostras em miniatura (inclusive Charpy contendo pré-trinca) para determinação de curvas R e da/dN vs. ?K. As grandes questões são a viabilidade de ensaio de amostras pequenas com repetibilidade e a adequada avaliação dos limites de validade das forças motrizes nestas geometrias, a fim de garantir condições de similitude. Como um passo nesta direção, este trabalho investiga o potencial de amostras Charpy pré-trincadas (10x10x70mm) na determinação de curvas R e da/dN vs. ?K. Inicialmente, ensaios de ambos os tipos foram realizados em amostras de um aço estrutural ferrítico empregando uma máquina universal MTS 810. Apesar das dimensões reduzidas dos espécimes, os ensaios se mostraram viáveis e apresentaram boa repetibilidade e estabilidade dos resultados experimentais. Ainda, boas práticas de ensaio puderam ser estabelecidas para suportar os trabalhos futuros com tais geometrias.

Aug 8, 2018

By Jörg Busch

The essential pre-requisite for attaining the high quality of product required from high-speed continuous production processes is the use of new measurement and control technologies. High availability and reproducible measuring results ensure the high level of process stability necessary for full continuous operation. The requirements for the optimisation of quality across the complete production process and for quality analysis systems will be discussed. This report will present examples of basic and new measurement technologies in Cold Rolling Mills and Processing Lines. The following gauging systems will be discussed in detail: Strip tension meter, roll force measurements, weighing systems and shapemeter rolls. The measuring and control systems in this presentation must be seen as high-tech solutions in the field of processing technology. The measuring methods and technologies described are, together with optimised process models and precision control loops and actuators, the main pre-requisites for achieving the quality of product required from high-speed continuous production processes. Interconnected quality management systems enable optimisation across the complete production process.

Jul 30, 2018

By Mario SINNAEVE, Olivier LEMAIRE, Gisèle WALMAG, Sébastien FLAMENT

Many hot rolling mills worldwide face nowadays bonding zone fatigue problems before reaching scrap diameter of the work rolls. This phenomenon is nowadays known to occur in reversing roughing mills both in stainless steel and in carbon steel rolling. The phenomenon can be explained through longer rolling campaigns, inadequate backup or work roll maintenance, harder steel grades or increased throughput by reduced amount of passes to achieve the same thickness. In order to help users in optimizing the roll use, we developed a numerical tool to evaluate and optimize roll maintenance. This paper will review the influence of roll geometries on stresses generated at the roll surface but also at the bonding zone. We will also show how roll geometries can decrease contact fatigue damages by modifying crowning and chamfering procedures, shell thickness, material design or campaign length

Oct 1, 2019

By Wilian da Silva Labiapari

Austenitic stainless steels are widely known for their good weldability, excellent mechanical properties for deep drawing and superior corrosion resistance in environments where most of the metals fail. Their uses include many applications subjected to a combination of mechanical and corrosive wear, such as pumps, valves and surgical implants. Although their corrosion resistance has been largely investigated, their resistance to mechanical wear is less studied. In particular, their performance under conditions involving combined corrosive and mechanical wear is not well understood. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effect of the mechanical component on the electrochemical signal of an anodic polarization curve. A test rig was developed to investigate micro-abrasion-corrosion using a fixed ball configuration. Tests were carried out using stainless steel AISI 304 samples and 25.4 mm zirconia balls as counter bodies. The electrolyte was a 1N H2SO4 solution with SiO2 as abrasive dispersed at the concentration of 10 wt%. The results showed an increase in current density when the counter face roughness and the normal load applied during the tests are increased, evidencing a mechanical influence on the surface activity of this material in a corrosive environment.

Jul 31, 2018

By Francisco Carvalho

Durante o comissionamento o laminador Novelis CM3 apresentou níveis elevados de vibração, que causou instabilidades no processo de laminação, gerando problema de qualidade e desperdício de produto. Devido à vibração, as chapas produzidas pelo CM3 apresentaram marcas de Chatter, e para entender esse fenômeno foram empregadas as seguintes técnicas: Análise de Vibração, Análise da Forma de Deflexão Operacional e simulação numérica pelo Método dos Elementos Finitos-MEF. De acordo com a literatura, um laminador pode apresentar três modos de Chatter: 5-20 Hz (torção); 128- 256 Hz (3a oitava) e 500-700 Hz (5a oitava). O modo de 3a oitava é mais crítico para a estrutura. Na Análise de Vibração, os espectros apresentam níveis elevados na frequência de 153 Hz, sendo que na análise por ODS identificou-se movimentos relativos nos rolos de Backup e na estrutura de apoio em 153 Hz. Os cálculos por MEF destacaram a existência de um modo natural em 153 Hz nos rolos Backup, como observado nos modos operacionais obtidos por ODS, caracterizando ressonância no sistema. Esta ressonância está associada à vibração do modo de 3a oitava, que ocasiona níveis elevados de vibração no sistema. A excitação deste modo natural faz com que haja a flexão dos cilindros, que causa variações na pressão de laminação gerando assim marcas nas chapas. Também, realizou-se uma Análise Modal do rolo Backup identificando-se uma frequência natural na região de 150 Hz, com a forma modal de flexão.

Aug 16, 2017

By Angelo dos Reis Magalhães

Brazilian companies have adopted in recent years new management practices to remain competitive. Specialized consulting in asset management progressively creates or adapts new techniques in order to increase availability and reduce manufacturing costs, maximizing profits. New engineering concepts were acquired and implemented by executives in all business segments. Techniques, such as FMEA, RCM, LCC, Pas 55, Reliability studies by Monte Carlo simulations, among others, have become increasingly recognized as important tools to enhance managerial performance. Besides these techniques, this study suggests the importance of adequate structuring of a lubrication program, as a critical success factor for the reliability of any asset. Through a case study developed with a company in the mining sector, this work proposes the development of a master plan for lubrication based on three pillars: People, Equipment and Management system. Practices and care with lubricants, hydraulic fluids and coolant, until its point of application, shall be evaluated to ensure a correct contamination control and a high level of assets availability. This discussion sheds light onto other benefits of this process, including occupational health and safety; ergonomics; environment and sustainability.

Jul 31, 2018

By Pedro Jorge Walburga Keglevich de Buzin

The steel production in mini mills generates several process residues, among them the electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). This residue has as main elements Fe, O, and Zn, being classified as hazardous by the presence of Pb and Cd. In recent years, a rise in the chlorine content of this residue was observed, motivated by the increased use of scrap with impurities bearing this element. In this work, a qualitative assessment of the presence of chlorine in the electric steelmaking process is made. Complementing it, theoretical considerations based on the computational thermodynamics tool FactSage show the effects of the chlorine on the mineral species in EAFD and on gaseous species in the gas phase (HCl and Cl2). For this study, PVC polymer was used as the chlorine carrier substance which contaminates the EAF charge; presence of other minor elements in the system such as K, Na and Pb were also considered.

Aug 7, 2018

By José Alberto da Cruz Junior

Aços multiconstituídos têm aplicações voltadas principalmente para o setor automobilístico. Isso porque esses apresentam uma boa combinação de elevada resistência, ductilidade e tenacidade. A elevada resistência desses aços é devida a martensita e aos finos feixes de ferrita bainítica, enquanto que a tenacidade e a ductilidade são atribuídas aos filmes finos de austenita retida presentes entre os feixes. Esses filmes contém uma maior concentração de carbono em relação aos blocos de austenita retida. Uma consequência é que estes se tornam mais estáveis mecanicamente e termicamente. Dessa forma, foi realizada a avaliação do desempenho mecânico de um aço tratado isotermicamente abaixo de Mi e revenidos a 400°C/1 h. Os resultados dos ensaios de impacto mostraram que quanto maior a fração volumétrica da austenita retida maior é a energia absorvida, independente da morfologia desse constituinte.

Aug 7, 2018

By Edelink Efrain Tinoco Falero

Na atualidade a produção e a utilização de DRI estão aumentando nos países desenvolvidos, principalmente devido à redução do preço do gás natural e do sucesso da nova tecnologia de extração de gás de xisto. Os custos operacionais e os problemas ambientais são, efetivamente, os fatores tecnológicos importantes a serem considerados na otimização da produção de DRI. Portanto, o teor de carbono do DRI tornou-se essencial em virtude da capacidade de gerar energia química no banho de aço, complementando assim a eletricidade em FEA, e as contribuições exotérmicas da oxidação de Si e C nos conversores LD. Este trabalho faz parte de um programa completo de cooperação entre a companhia de mineração Samarco e o Grupo de Siderurgia da PUC-Rio, lidando com as equações cinéticas da metalização e carburização simultânea em fornos de redução direta. Para este efeito, o reator foi dividido em três zonas internas: Redução, Transição e zona de resfriamento. Além disso, também foram consideradas três regiões concêntricas: periférica, média e centro. Á partir desses resultados, para um tipo de pelotas RD específico, mistura de gases utilizados nas instalações industriais e similar flui-dinâmica do processo, as equações cinéticas de metalização e carburização foram estabelecidas para cada zona. Um programa computacional METCARB, totalmente baseado nessas equações cinéticas, foi então concebido. Finalmente, uma validação adicional procedeu-se tendo em conta duas corridas operacionais industriais.

Aug 17, 2017

By Pedro Jorge Walburga Keglevich de Buzin

The steel production in mini mills generates several process residues, among them there is the electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). This residue has as main elements Fe, O, and Zn, being classified as hazardous by the presence of Pb and Cd. Thermodynamic studies related to the formation of mineral species containing Fe, O and Zn elements were carried on due to the influence of these compounds in hydrometallurgical EAFD recycling processes. In recent years, a rise in the chlorine content of this residue was observed, mainly motivated by the increased use of scrap with polymeric impurities containing this element. In this work, based on computational thermodynamics tool FactSage, a general overview of gaseous and minerals species (found in EAFD) formed by Fe, Zn, O, Cl, H and C is shown – representing the organic origin of chlorine. For this study, the PVC polymer was used as the chlorine carrier substance which contaminates the EAF load.

Jul 30, 2018

By Sander Mul, Michael Brandner, Armin Paar

Graphitic HSS roll grades such as ESW’s brand VANIMO can be considered as the latest developments for the last finishing stands in hot strip mills. These roll grades are developed on the basis of the alloying concept of (Carbide Enhanced) Indefinite Chill work roll materials. During the development of VANIMO, the amounts and types of carbide forming elements were increased and adjusted into the direction of cast HSS roll grades. The microstructure of graphitic HSS roll grades therefore consists of tempered martensite, cementite and several different carbide types as well as a well-defined amount of free graphite. The main purpose of graphitic HSS roll grades is to combine the high surface quality of Indefinite Chill alloys as well as the high wear resistance of HSS roll grades. Several systematic steps were taken to increase the wear performance from Carbide-Enhanced Indefinite Chill grades to the more advanced VANIC grade and further on to the highest alloyed roll grade VANIMO. In every development step, the surface quality of the roll grades was carefully monitored. The decision to invest in new testing equipment at ESW’s plant was driven by the wish to see microstructural effects of different alloys in a macroscopic dimension. Usually samples are taken from cast rolls and investigation is done in comparably small areas compared to the total surface of a roll. Rolling of strip is done with the entire barrel, so effects of alloy and microstructure can appear anywhere on the barrel surface. To ensure better understanding and deeper knowledge about influences of alloying trials we decided to install the last version of LRI (Lismar Roll Inspection). LRI includes the latest technology of Eddy Current with an enormous resolution. Depending on the formation of carbide precipitations, carbide network as well as matrix and free graphite, the EC test can detect smallest differences. The possibility to analyze the different results of EC and UT surface wave inspection will be discussed. A few examples of surface effects in the mill application will be discussed and improvement strategies explained.

Oct 1, 2019

By Ryoma Fujiyoshi

In this article, the technologies of highly durable MgO-C bricks for the scrap impact zone and bottom blowing tuyere of converters are demonstrated. On the bases of our recent investigations, wear of scrap impact zone and bottom tuyere are explainable in terms of crack initiation and propagation. Theoretically, crack propagation in brittle material is regarded as generation of new crack surface area. It occurs when the elastic strain energy stored in the material exceeds the energy required to generate a new crack surface area. Since the overall energy consumed for crack propagation until fracture is evaluated by fracture energy, materials exhibiting high fracture energy can be regarded as materials with high fracture resistance. Therefore, two fracture energy-improving technologies for MgO-C bricks were developed. One is matrix reinforcement and the other is carbon bond enhancement. These technologies were applied to bricks for the scrap impact zone and bottom tuyere. As a result of commercial applications, notable decreases in wear rates were recognized for high fracture energy materials for the scrap impact zone and bottom blowing tuyere of converters.

Oct 30, 2017