Steel Times International September 2019 by Quartz Business Media

STEEL SUCCESS STRATEGIES

COMPANY PROFILE

PERSPECTIVES

HISTORY

Manik Mehta reports from New York at the SSS XXXIV steel conference

Swedish steelmaker Sandvik moves into additive manufacturing

Voith Turbo North America on the latest trends and technology

US Steel Corporation – a billion dollar idea

www.steeltimesint.com September 2019 - Vol.43 No6

STEEL TIMES INTERNATIONAL – September 2019 – Vol.43 No6

Rolling out a stronger future. Together. STAINLESS STEEL – THE GREEN METAL

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CONTENTS – SEPTEMBER 2019

STEEL SUCCESS STRATEGIES

COMPANY PROFILE

PERSPECTIVES

HISTORY

Manik Mehta reports from New York at the SSS XXXIV steel conference

Swedish steelmaker Sandvik moves into additive manufacturing

Voith Turbo North America on the latest trends and technology

US Steel Corporation – a billion dollar idea

2 Leader By Matthew Moggridge, editor, Steel Times International.

www.steeltimesint.com September 2019 - Vol.43 No6

STEEL TIMES INTERNATIONAL – September 2019 – Vol.43 No6

Picture courtesy of Quaker Houghton

Rolling out a stronger future. Together.

4 News round-up The latest news and diary dates

STAINLESS STEEL – THE GREEN METAL

EDITORIAL Editor Matthew Moggridge Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855151 matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com Consultant Editor Dr. Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Production Editor/Design Guru Annie Baker Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence SALES International Sales Manager Paul Rossage paulrossage@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855116 Sales Director Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855117 Managing Director Steve Diprose stevediprose@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855164

6 Innovations The latest contracts and new products from international plant builders and suppliers. 10 Latin America update Brazilian coke blast furnaces 12 Conference report: Steel Success Strategies XXXIV Optimism and toned-down sentiments

Rolling 19 Speed pumps save electric power 23 Bearing solutions for hi-speed rolling 33 Company profile Moving into additive manufacturing 40 Special and stainless steels The George Washington bridge 44 Special and stainless steels Stainless steel, the ‘green’ metal 46 Perspectives: Voith Satisfying customer demands 48 History US Steel – a billion dollar idea

Chief Executive Officer Paul Michael 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 £195.00 Other countries: £270.00 2 years subscription: UK £350.00 Other countries: £485.00 ) Single copy (inc postage): £45.00 Email: steel@quartzltd.com Published by: Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, England. 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 by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at

Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER send address changes to Steel Times International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Printed in England by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent NP12 2YA, UK ©Quartz Business Media Ltd 2019

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LEADER

Electric steelmaking is the future for global steelmaking

Matthew Moggridge Editor matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com

I was very pleased with an announcement made recently by the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) concerning Osceola, Arkansas-based Big River Steel. The hi-tech steelmaker with its SMS group ‘learning mill’ is pushing the boundaries of steel production technology and challenging – not that it needs to be challenged – the supremacy of the integrated steel mill and the notion that they (and not EAF steelmakers) produce superior steel. The SMA announcement was simple: Big River Steel has become a member of the SMA, the organisation representing electric steelmakers in the USA. Stateside, electric steelmaking is now (and has been for some time) the dominant form of steel production. In the early days, integrated steelmakers claimed that ‘the new kids on the block’ (electric steelmakers) were incapable of making high quality steels and were only capable of making steel for trash cans. How wrong they were! According to Dave Stickler, Big River Steel’s CEO, phase two development at the Osceola plant will lead to the production of non-grain oriented (NGO) steels. Stickler plans to produce NGO steels fully processed down to 0.10mm

thickness and 1,650mm wide – the widest and the thinnest in the world, he claims. Big River Steel is already selling direct to three automotive companies and by the year-end will be selling direct to Mercedes! Julian Allwood, Professor of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Cambridge in the UK, writing in the July/ August edition of Steel Times International, said that the most demanding aerospace companies are buying recycled steel from Liberty Speciality Steels in Rotherham, UK, putting paid to the argument that recycled steel is of a lower quality than that produced in blast furnaces. Professor Allwood argues that around a third of the world’s steel output is made by electric arc furnaces. He says that pressure to act on climate change will mean a reduction in the number of blast furnaces in order to meet emissions targets: proof if any was needed that electric steelmakers like Big River Steel and Liberty Speciality Steels, to name but two, are the future of global steelmaking. So I say hats off to Big River Steel, Commercial Metals Company, Steel Dynamics, Liberty Speciality Steels and, of course, the pioneering Nucor Corporation.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

• NLMK USA’s steel sales volumes for Q2 2019 fell 15% to 313kt (metric tonnes) compared to 369kt (metric tonnes) over the same period a year earlier. Cold rolled steel sales fell 15% to 110kt from 129kt while galvanised steel sales rose 14% to 158kt (metric tonnes) from 139kt a year earlier. The company’s Portage, Indiana, EAF mill produced 185kt, up 2.2% from 181kt over the same period the previous year. Source: Argus Media, 15 July 2019.

• Will Steel Authority of India Ltd’s Bhilai Steel Plant be privatised? That’s the big question on the lips of industry observers following a visit to the plant by its arch rival Naveen Jindal of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL). The two companies have been rivals in the ﬁeld of rail supply to Indian Railways. Mr Jindal and his son Venkatesh were given a guided tour of the plant. Source: Business Standard, 16 July 2019.

• India’s directorategeneral of trade remedies (DGTR) has recommended anti-dumping duties ranging from US$28.70

to US$199.50/tonne for imports of aluminium and zinc-coated steel products from China, South Korea and Vietnam. The varying rates are dependent upon the level of harm caused. Source: Argus Media, 18 July 2019

• Indian steelmaker JSW has invested heavily in its Tarapur production unit in Maharashtra with a view to rolling out Platina, a premium tinplate product, and tapping into growing demand from the local packaging industry. Demand for tinplate in India stands at around 700kt. Source: LiveMint,19 July 2019.

• A report on the BBC website claims that an investment arm of Turkey's armed forces pension fund is the preferred bidder for British Steel. In a move that will probably be viewed by many as something out of leftﬁeld – a lot of industry observers expected Liberty's Sanjeev Gupta to have some involvement in the future of the company – Ataer Holding, if successful, will be given several weeks to try to buy British Steel out of insolvency. Source: BBC, 14 August 2019.

• US Steel’s ﬂat-rolled division has proved to be the largest segment of the company over recent years, according to a report by NASDAQ. US Steel revenues have increased from US$10.3 billion (2016) to US$14.2 billion (2018). Over the same period the company’s ﬂat-rolled division achieved a revenue increase from US$7.5 billion to US$9.7 billion over the same period. Source: Nasdaq, 16 August 2019.

• Australia steelmaker Bluescope Steel is planning to invest US$700 million on expanding its North Star plant in Delta, Ohio. The plan is to increase capacity by 40% to 850kt (metric tons) on completion. Source: Wall Street Journal, 18 August 2019.

• New kid on the steel block, Vedanta, has ambitions to be a bit hitter in the Indian market. The company, which acquired Electrosteel Steels (ESL) in June 2018 now wants to expand its Bokaro steelmaking capacity in Jharkhand state to 10Mt/ yr from its current 1.5Mt/yr, according to online media reports. Source: Financial Express, 19 August 2019.

• Ever since a big chemical spill left hundreds of ﬁsh in the Little Calumet River dead, the world’s biggest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, has been testing the water and working closely with the authorities to put things right. The spill was down to the failure of a blast furnace water recirculation system, which sent wastewater containing ‘elevated levels’ of ammonia and cyanide into the river. ArcelorMittal has apologised for the spill. Source: CBS Chicago, 18 August 2019. September 2019

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NEWS ROUND-UP • US Steel announces that it will lay off 200 employees following the halting of production at a steel plant in Michigan. The company says lower steel prices and softer demand are behind the decision. The affected plant is located in the Detroit suburb of Ecorse. Source: Yahoo Finance, 20 August 2019.

• The output of Iran’s 10 major steel ingot producers reached 6.86Mt during the ﬁrst quarter of Iran’s current calendar year (March to July), up 4%, according to local media reports. Production at the 10 plants has already exceeded last year’s production ﬁgures by 30%, it is claimed. Source: Tehran Times, 20 August 2019. ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions is keeping very busy at the moment. The company is supplying a coal handling system to a new Russian coal terminal at Lavna AND is building a EUR60 million logistics centre in Germany. The Port of Lavna is near to Murmansk on the western shore of the Kola bay and will have an annual capacity of 18Mt. It will be fully operational in 2021. The logistics centre will be located

• Big River Steel, based in Osceola, Arkansas, USA and headed up by CEO Dave Stickler, has joined the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), the largest steel industry trade association in the United States and the primary trade association representing North American EAF steel producers. Source: Steel Manufacturers Association, 21 August 2019.

Indian steelmaker JSW will not be constructing a new electric arc furnace (EAF) in Baytown, Texas, USA, until market conditions improve. While the company is fully committed to modernising the plate mill, it has decided to ‘put on hold’ the backward integration project of installing and EAF and slab caster at the plant, according to a company spokesperson. Source: AMM.com, 21 August 2019. in Rotenburg/Wumme in Lower Saxony and will be up and running in 2021. Sources: International Mining and The Construction Index, 20 August 2019.

DIARY OF EVENTS

September

• Tata Steel Europe has taken on Corps Security to provide security services to the company throughout the UK. The £3.6 million contract will translate to more than 100 security ofﬁcers working across all 14 of Tata’s UK sites including Port Talbot. Needless to say the security company is over the moon. CEO Mike Bullock said he was delighted to be working ‘with such a like-minded organisation’. Source: FMJ.co.uk, 21 August 2019. • Long-term global steel demand is moving into a low-growth zone, according to World Steel Association chairman Andre Gerdau Johannpeter. He was speaking recently at the Brazilian Steel Institute’s annual conference in Brasilia. Source: SP Global, 21 August 2019. • German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp has complained to the General Court of the European Union against the European Commission’s decision to stop the planned merger between TK and Tata Steel in Europe. While the European Commission had reservations surrounding restricted competition, TK said that it ‘doesn’t share these concerns’. Source: Economic Times, 22 August 2019.

01-05 Euromat 2019 Location: City Conference Centre, Stockholm, Sweden. Organised by The Swedish Society for Materials Technology A European congress and exhibition on advanced materials and processes at a venue just 10 minutes' walk from Stockholm Central Station. Further information, log on to www.euromat2019.fems.eu 19 Sept: Innovative Technologies for Production and Processing of Steel Location: ITC Sonar Hotel, Kolkata, India. Organised by Steel Tech. See the online events diary for the full (and long) title of this one-day event. The organiser claims it will provide a unique opportunity for metal producers to interact with Government ofﬁcials and technology suppliers and others involved with global metal production and processing. Further information, email info@steeltech-india.com 25-26 Future Steel Forum 2019 Location: Soﬁtel Hotel, Budapest, Hungary. Organised by Quartz Business Media. Now in its third successful year, the Future Steel Forum 2019 promises to be an interesting event for those involved in digital manufacturing and steel. Leading speakers, including the Chinese steelmaker, Rockcheck Steel Group, will be present. Further information, log on to www.futuresteelforum.com

October 17-19 Automation & Information Technology in Steel & Mining Industries Organised by Computer Society of India (CSI) Otherwise known as AITISM 2019, this event is described as a biennial forum for research professionals, engineering consultants, technology & equipment suppliers working in process control, IT and computerisation. Further information, log on to www.aitism.ranchi.in September 2019

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Gerdau and Primetals sign digitalisation deal

Brazil’s biggest steelmaker and Austria’s leading plant builder and digital manufacturing company have signed a strategic partnership for digitalisation. Gerdau and Primetals used the world’s biggest metals convention and exposition, METEC in Dusseldorf, to sign on the dotted line and are planning to develop and realise a ‘digitalisation roadmap’ for the Brazilian steel manufacturer. Gerdau’s aim, claims Primetals, is to become a pioneer in the implementation of digital innovation among all steel producers in the world. With this in mind, Primetals and Gerdau will co-operate on the execution of digitalisation projects,

joint development projects and the creation of new business models. According to Primetals, Gerdau has put digitalisation at the top of its agenda. Executive director Marcos Eduardo Faraco Wahrhaftig, deﬁnes the main target for the partnership as follows: “For more than 100 years Gerdau has been a pioneer in the manufacturing of steel products. Now we also want to become the pioneer in the implementation of digital innovation in the steel industry,” he said. Mr Wahrhaftig said that it had selected Primetals because it was the leading technology company in the sector.

Kurt Herzog, head of Industry 4.0 at Primetals Technologies, commented: “We are looking forward to supporting Gerdau to drive their digital transformation in order to commonly create new innovative digital services on the edge of Industry 4.0,” he said. Primetals Technologies and Gerdau have enjoyed a partnership lasting 40 years. This latest coming together over digital manufacturing marks a new milestone in the companies’ relationship. For further information, log on to www.primetals.com

TigTag for harsh environment labelling Barcode identiﬁcation for products in extremely high temperature environments is a subject close to the heart of US-based InfoSight Corporation. The company claims to be a world leader in harsh environment traceability across a number of industries, including the steel industry. According to InfoSight, automated reading of barcode labels have become standard for identifying and tracking products in almost every industry. Some environments, however, are impossible for even the most robust labelling to survive, but now there is TigTag, a product introduced by InfoSight that can withstand temperatures in excess of 2000 deg F (1100 deg C). Tig Tag is the company’s latest application of the CeramiCode range of high temperature tags.

The company describes its latest product as a ‘high purity alumina ceramic plate mounted to a 316 stainless steel baseplate’. The mounting technique is designed to permit rapid temperature cycling without stress on the ceramic plate, Infosight claims, adding that the TigTag can be attached to metals using small Tig or MIG welds. The TigTag measures 2in x 3in (50mm x 76mm) and is claimed to provide a high contrast barcode capable of surviving temperatures in excess of 2000 deg F. Alphanumeric characters can be included in the laser-marked message. Lastly, the TigTag provides a large and scannable barcode for traceability of pieces that experience multiple cycles of extremely high

temperatures (annealing covers, kiln cars, high temperature molds and rolls). For further information, log on to www.knovation.com/ceramiccodes

September 2019

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INNOVATIONS

Chinese steelmaker awards SMS converter contract German plant builder SMS group has been awarded a big contract from Taiwan’s China Steel Corporation (CSC). SMS group has been contracted to supply three 160-ton converters for CSC’s number one steel making plant in Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The plant is being upgraded in order to improve the availability of the converters and reduce the need for maintenance. In terms of timelines, replacement of the old and commissioning of the new converters is scheduled for the period 2020 to 2022. “We have been operating a BOF converter shop from SMS group at Dragon Steel Corporation for some years now. Our experience with SMS group has been so good that the choice for this order was an easy one. We look forward to working with SMS group in the years to come,” said Hung-Ta Lin, general superintendent, steelmaking department, at CSC Taiwan.

SMS group will supply CSC with the converter vessels, trunnion rings, lamella-type vessel suspension system, tilt drives, X-Pact electrical and automation systems for the tilt drives and supervision of erection and commissioning. According to SMS group, the lamella-type converter suspension system is maintenance-free and ensures the ‘unrestrained arrangement of the converter vessel in the trunnion ring. “Thanks to the use of the lamella suspension system, a larger air gap between the vessel and the trunnion ring and high quality, high strength ﬁne-grained structural steels, the converters can cope ideally with the alternating thermal stress during operation,” said the company. SMS group’s X-Pact electrical and automation systems for the converter’s tilt drives feature frequency-controlled three-phase drive technology, which is claimed to guarantee high level plant availability as well as safe and reliable positioning

of converter vessels under continually changing dynamic loads. For further information, log on to www.sms-group.com

Gerdau upgrades Pindamonhangaba rolling mill Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau has contracted Italian plant builder Danieli to upgrade its rolling mill number three in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The plan is to be able to produce spring steel flat bars. Currently, the mill produces specialty steel round bars. The project involves the provision of advisory technical services, expertise sharing, and equipment supply, including new cooling bed eccentric shafts and pneumatic apron flaps. Other on-site activities, such as dismantling, mounting, cold and hot commissioning, were included in the contract. According to Danieli, the first flat bars produced – ahead of schedule –have shown optimal

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surface quality and metallurgical properties. The project will continue with a second phase aimed at increasing the steelmaker’s dimensional product range. Danieli Service, by means of its local Brazilian structure, offers solutions to revamping projects, original spare parts, qualiﬁed technical assessment, refurbishments and consignment stock in the local workshop. For further information, log on to www.danieli.com

September 2019

09/09/2019 09:15:41

Masteel announces major CGL

Chinese steelmaker Ma’anshan Iron & Steel (Masteel) has been investing in upgrading its production facilities and has awarded Fives a turnkey contract to revamp a continuous galvanising line (CGL) to produce new quality coated products. The existing CGL NO1 at the Ma'anshan-I site in China’s Anhui province is capable of producing 350kt/yr of zinc-coated products. Once revamped, it will be able to deliver corrosion-resistant ZnAlMg (Zinc - Aluminum–Magnesium) coated steel sheets required by the home appliances and construction industries. Fives will be responsible for co-ordinating and project managing the project, which includes the design and supply of a Stein horizontal furnace, as well as modiﬁcations to the after-pot cooling

tower and a post treatment section which will be equipped with a new hot air dryer and air coolers. The project faces a double challenge: integration of the new furnace with a heat recovery system into the existing line and design of the speciﬁc equipment to meet new coating requirements. Fives claims that it possesses the technical expertise and operational practice to overcome these challenges, which is why it was selected for this project. “Fives was a pioneer to design and supply processing lines to produce multi-coated galvanised high-end products, as well as colour-coated products on a single line. This revamping project will be our second reference in just over six months for the same type of line,”

says Olivier Grosse, sales director at Fives’ steel business unit. Fives says it will use a modular concept furnace to minimise production stoppages and will provide a dedicated team for a start-up and a production ramp-up to reach quickly high-quality grades of new coated products. The project will be supervised by Fives’ subsidiary in Shanghai, China. Fives claims the ﬁrst coil will be produced by the end of 2020.

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

Severstal orders slab reheating furnaces Russian steelmaker Severstal has placed an order with Fives for two new high-capacity walking beam slab reheating furnaces as part of a major reconstruction of its number two rolling plant at the Cherepovets steel mill in northwestern Russia. The new Stein Digit@l Furnace – each with a production capacity up to 440 tons/hr– will replace two of four existing furnaces. According to Fives, the Stein Digit@l Furnace is a crown jewel within its range of technologies for reheating and heat treatment. The company claims that its key piece of furnace technology delivers a consistent flame shape and heating quality; ultra-low NOx; substantial fuel saving; minimised scale loss and decarburisation; and reduced OPEX due to lower maintenance and fuel consumption. Severstal’s two Stein Digit@l furnaces will be able to reheat a wide range of products within a charging temperature mix from half cold 20°C to half hot 500°C, according to the hot rolling mill requirements at the Cheverpovets mill. Dieudonné Hounliasso, sales engineer at Fives Stein, said that one of the unique features of the furnace is the use of AdvanTek side-firing burners with digital control. “This creates so-called ‘micro zones’, each 2.8 metres long, which enable the furnace temperature to be controlled in a very precise manner, guaranteeing high heating efficiency,” he said. Fives Stein was the Fives Group subsidiary that developed Severstal’s two new furnaces. According to Fives, the combustion system is September 2019

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controlled by Virtuo-R, Fives’ proprietary Level 2 software tool for optimum thermal control. Virtuo-R helps to minimise heating defects, optimise the operation time required for heating and reduce gas consumption and scale losses. As a result, claims Fives, the Stein Digit@l furnace ‘meets the most stringent environmental requirements by providing NOx emissions of less than 60 ppm for dry waste gases’. Kristiaan Van Teutem, sales director of Fives Stein, commented: “Today, this equipment offers the best return on investment on the market for demanding slab reheating applications.”

At Severstal, Vadim Germanov, chief executive officer of the steel division, said that new reheating furnaces will ensure homogeneous heating of slabs which is imperative to produce high value-added products. “Moreover, we will be able to reduce gas consumption and increase the capacity of the hot strip mill 2000 by 140kt/ yr, which will bring a financial benefit of around EUR20 million per year,” he said.

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

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LATIN AMERICA UPDATE

Brazilian coke blast furnaces Between June and August 2019, three large coke blast furnaces have been temporarily halted in Brazil: one belongs to ArcelorMittal Tubarão, the other to CSN Volta Redonda and another to Gerdau Ouro Branco. Bearing this rare coincidence in mind, this article examines general data on Brazilian coke blast furnaces and looks at individual experiences too. By Germano Mendes de Paula* Fig.1 shows that Brazilian pig iron production, in coke blast furnaces, has been fairly steady since 2007. Except for 2009, due to the impact of the global ﬁnancial crisis, volumes have stabilised along a 25Mt/yr plateau. Nevertheless, this aggregate performance tends to coverup two important changes. On the one hand, two greenﬁeld steelworks were commissioned: a) Ternium Brasil (at that time it was called ThyssenKrupp Companhia Siderúrgica do Atlântico) entered into operation in 2010 with two blast furnaces and a combined 5.3Mt/yr capacity. It produced 4.5Mt of pig iron in 2017 (the latest available information), which was equivalent to 17.4% of Brazilian coke pig iron output; b) Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP) started-up in 2016, with a 3.1Mt/yr blast furnace capacity. It fabricated 2.6Mt of pig iron in 2017 or 10.1% of the country’s volume. Usiminas Cubatão has two blast furnaces. It decided to idle the #1 furnace in May 2015. Afterwards, in October that year, it

Fig 1

announced that it would interrupt the #2 furnace from January 2016 onwards. In its other mill, located in Ipatinga, Usiminas has three blast furnaces. It has also temporarily halted the #1 furnace from June 2015 to April 2018, as the company adjusted its production in response to a weak domestic market. It was estimated that the enterprise needed to invest roughly $25 million to resume the operation of this equipment. Usiminas’ pig iron output diminished from 8.4Mt in 2007 to 3.0Mt in 2017. As a consequence, its share in the country’s total plummeted from 35.2% to 11.4%. Fig. 2 demonstrates the evolution of the coke rate, pulverised coal injection (PCI) rate and fuel rate between 2007-2017. The coke rate has increased from 287kg/t in 2007 to 401kg/t in 2012, reverting partially to 372kg/t in 2017. Meanwhile, the PCI rate has diminished from 140kg/t in 2007 to 101kg/t in 2009, but then enlarged to 150kg/t in 2017. Consequently, the fuel rate varied from 427kg/t in 2007 to 523kg/t in 2017.

Individual experiences After analysing the aggregate ﬁgures on Brazilian coke pig iron production, it seems appropriate to examine the stoppages carried out by ArcelorMittal, CSN and Gerdau. ArcelorMittal Tubarão’s intermediate repair started a maintenance interruption of #2 furnace on 8 June. Originally planned to begin in mid-August, the stoppage was anticipated due to poor market conditions. The 1.2 Mt/yr capacity equipment will remain idle at least until late October, as maintenance will follow its original time frame of 70 days, at a cost of roughly $35 million. The #2 furnace started-up in 1998, but it was stopped from December 2008 until March 2012 because of market conditions, resulting in 17 years of operation. ArcelorMittal plans to replace the furnace’s refractory materials, to improve its cooling system and update its electrical and control systems.

Fig 2

* Professor in Economics, Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil. E-mail: germano@ufu.br September 2019

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I am aggressive!

But that’s no problem for our corrosionresistant fans. Two blast furnaces CSN has two blast furnaces in its Volta Redonda steelworks. On 28 June, it began a 60-day stoppage of the #3 furnace, which is the largest one. The company is investing some $60 million in the operation. Because the equipment was at the end of its campaign, it was producing below capacity. In order to sustain its steel shop and rolling mill activities, CSN was obliged to purchase 450-500kt of slabs. As a consequence of the blast furnace revamp, it will gain an additional 400-500kt/yr capacity. Gerdau is investing approximately $40 million to reform its #1 furnace, the largest of its Ouro Branco steelworks. The maintenance takes place over 60 days in July and August. The stoppage requires a stock of 350kt of slabs and billets, of which only 15% was acquired from third sources, because Gerdau had accelerated its own production. The revamp will be followed by further upgrades in 2022, boosting pig iron additional capacity by 230kt/yr from that year. Considering that there are three blast furnace stoppages this year, it is reasonable to believe that Brazilian coke pig iron production will experience a momentary retraction in this year. For the coming years, the trajectory seems dependent on Usiminas. Indeed, in May, the company approved a $307 million project to revamp #3 furnace at Ipatinga to be carried until 2022. The main part of the investment is scheduled for 2020 and 2021. The #3 furnace accounts for almost half of Ipatinga’s crude steel capacity of 5Mt/yr. The equipment will continue to operate normally until mid-2021. Reactivation of blast furnaces Usiminas has not decided whether to reactivate at least one of the company’s two blast furnaces at its Cubatão steelworks. Both are currently not working. Reactivating them will demand a substantial investment, partially explained by the need to construct new coke oven batteries. It is understood that such a move is still dependent on a strong recovery of the domestic steel market and, most probably, will not happen before 2022. At moment, there are no new coke blast furnaces under construction in Brazil, but there is some idle equipment and their resumption is contingent on improved local market conditions, but the actual performance, so far, has been disappointing. For 20202022, expect only a slight production improvement on the pattern observed over the last 12 years. �

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02/09/2019 11:00:46

CONFERENCE REPORT: STEEL SUCCESS STRATEGIES XXXIV

Optimism and toned-down sentiments As expected, the heated debate in US political circles over the escalating US-China trade war, triggered by the imposition of 25% tariffs on steel imports into the US, also reverberated at the Steel Success Strategies 2019 (SSS-XXXIV) conference held 17-19 June in New York. By Manik Mehta*

1.Peter LeBlanc, chief marketing officer – North America and Global Automotive – ArcelorMittal; 2. Eric Welte, general manager, product innovation and development, AK Steel. 3.Dean Kanelos, market development and product applications manager, Nucor Automotive Group. 4. Stephen Pratt, CEO, Noodle.ai . 5. Dr. Thomas Pfatschbacher, vice president (technology & innovation, casting & rolling, ESP, Mechatronics, TPO) of Primetals Technologies, Austria GmbH based in Linz, Austria. 6 Tony Rodriguez, director, cargo/FTZ, Port of Brownsville Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH based in Linz, Austria. 6. Tony Rogdriguez, director, cargo/FTZ, Port of Brownsville.

JOHN Ferriola, the chief executive of Nucor, known for his high-powered rhetoric, made a spectacular “landing” on the stage in a visual space aircraft. The stunt’s optical effects provided amusement to the audience in the packed auditorium, besides drumming up the message that Nucor supplies special steel for the aerospace industry in a year that marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landings by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – to deliver his keynote speech. He maintained that global demand for steel is projected to grow to 1.7 billion metric tonnes. “The economy is in good

shape. Unemployment was at its lowest in 2018. The US manufacturing sector earned its highest earnings since this century,” he said, adding that “we need to innovate to prepare for the next cyclical low point”, and noting that the US steel industry had produced 10Mt less in 2018 than before the last recession. One steel analyst, preferring to stay anonymous, said that Nucor has “high aspirations” to enhance its presence in the automotive sector. Nucor was recognised in May this year as a General Motors Supplier of the Year for non-fabricated steel, becoming in effect the first electric

arc furnace steelmaker to receive this recognition, an accolade Ferriola used to rebut those who have said that Nucor is incapable of producing automotive steel in electric arc furnaces. Peter F. Marcus and Philipp G. Englin, managing partner and CEO respectively of World Steel Dynamics, released a report called “Seeing Steel with New Eyes – it’s growing younger”, which highlighted the panic mode in China which is in a “phase of escalating threats to its ‘command’ economic system – that has enjoyed unprecedented success in the past 20 years”. The report describes business

* US correspondent in New York September 2019

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www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 09:49:59

Ronald E. Ashburn (executive director), Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), who moderated the panel discussion); the others are guest panelists; Bernhard Hoffmann (centre), vice president, global product development & engineering, US Steel Corp; Peter LeBlanc (far left), chief marketing officer-North America and global automotive-ArcelorMittal. Pictures: Manik Mehta

Below: Philippe Blostein, marketing director (metals) of Air Liquide S.A

sentiment in China as “poor”; indeed, some 50% of exporting businesses in a UBS survey say they are planning to move some of their manufacturing offshore. The duo maintained that China had far more to lose than to gain in any trade battle with the USA since its exports to the USA are about $ 650 billion of products each year (China’s GDP is estimated at roughly $ 12 trillion annually while that of the USA at about $ 20 trillion annually). China imports only about $120 billion of goods from the USA each year. With worker wages in China having risen since 2000 by 10-15% each year and breakthrough technologies having reduced the labour content of new factories wherever they are built, the Chinese, despite their manufacturing prowess, have lost significant competitive advantage in the past half decade, the report says. The report lists four factors that are enhancing the US steel mills’ profitability: - Steel’s new ‘age of protectionism’ which has been in place only since the autumn of 2016, is the result of the avalanche of trade suits filed against Chinese steel mills and others beginning in the spring of 2016; in protected home markets, the duo expected that price will remain well above the world price – although it will still be impacted by it; • Steel production remains concentrated in a large number of countries www.steeltimesint.com

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and regions, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, Western Europe (although to a lesser extent after Tata Europe and ThyssenKrupp were prohibited from a merger); • China’s “steel-exporting armada” has been slowed, even though the big question remains whether the country’s Central Government will restrict the mills’ exports the next time they seek to boost them sharply, driven by the urgency to keep down air pollution in the country; • Steel demand outside China should benefit from rising fixed asset investment as a share of the GDP. The report’s two authors contend that Chinese steel’s greatest achievements are “now largely in the past”, even though the industry will remain large and important enough to still be “driving the steel industry’s bus” for years to come. But, they assert, steel demand in China in a year or two may be entering a gradual decline. A panel discussion on “Automotive and Beyond: Growth Markets for Advanced High-Strength Steels” focused on steel consumption in the automotive industry and other markets. Bernhard Hoffmann, vice president (global product development and engineering) of US Steel Corp, said that the manufacture of electric cars will bolster advanced high-strength steels. He maintained that by 2024, electric cars would have reached price parity with gaspowered cars, largely due to falling costs of lithium-ion battery packs. Indeed, parity would be reached without government tax credits. The US Steel Corp’s vice president said that his company is bringing several grades of AHSS and GEN3 steel to the market

to meet the automotive end customer’s demands for future vehicle platform launches in 2019 and beyond. Peter LeBlanc, chief marketing officer, North America and Global Automotive, ArcelorMittal, highlighted the growing importance of advanced high-strength steels: “Today, we produce steels with strengths of up to 2000 Mpa. Before the year 2000, maximum strength was only 340 Mpa,” he said. ArcelorMittal, he pointed out, had invested some $2.5 billion in operational improvements and global R&D efforts for automotive-linked steel in North America since 2014, “Our strategic investment allows ArcelorMittal to maintain its position as the market leader and deliver steel products and solutions that address automakers’ evolving needs,” LeBlanc said. Eric Welte, manager – product research and development – at AK Steel Corp (AKSC). underscored his company’s socalled “automotive commitment” reflected in the production of carbon steel, stainless steel and electrical steel. AKSC also attached highest priority to R&D operations, manifested in a variety of activities that include laboratory melting and casting, mechanical testing, pilot scale rolling mills, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, quench dilatometer Gleeble 3800 high strain rate testing and so on. Dean Kanelos, marketing development and product applications manager at Nucor Automotive Group, said that his company was “moving up the value chain”, with features such as advanced highstrength steels (AHSS) for the automotive sector, quench and self-tempering (QST) technology, hollow structural section (HSS), steel tubing and steel electrical conduit pipe, wider, lighter gauge sheet, expanded steel piling portfolio and expanded SBQ products. September 2019

02/09/2019 09:50:05

CONFERENCE REPORT: STEEL SUCCESS STRATEGIES XXXIV

Nucor, he said, had announced major investments of over $ 5 billion since 2004 in the automotive sector. He also referred to strategic investments made by Nucor and JFE Steel of Japan in Mexico, specifically a new $135 million sheet processing facility/ galvanising line constructed on a 50-50 joint-venture basis and destined to supply galvanised sheet steel to the Mexican automotive market. The plant will have an annual capacity of about 400kt, with Nucor to supply half of substrate requirements. The project is centrally located to serve Mexico’s growing automotive market. Jody Hall, vice president, automotive market, for the Steel Market Development Institute of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), emphasised steel’s role in future mobility. “The steel industry has a long history of successfully partnering with global automakers to develop highly optimised, cost effective and mass efficient solutions; it is involved in providing ultralightweight steel auto body. The results of the future steel vehicle were rapidly and widely adopted by automakers as evident in 2015 model year vehicles,” she said, adding that the steel industry will be partnering with the automotive industry to produce the car of the future. But companies providing services and products to steel companies also attended the conference to update themselves on developments in the steel industry. Parisbased Air Liquide, which supplies industrial gases to the metals industry, particularly the steel industry, had a revenue of 21 billion Euros in 2018 and a strong presence in the Americas. In an interview with Steel Times International, Philippe Blostein, Air Liquide’s director for metals marketing, said that his company supplies industrial gases, including oxygen, to metal companies. “The latest trend in the metals industry, as I see it, is the use of hydrogen gas which is September 2019

STEEL S S.indd 3

important for technological development. Hydrogen also helps in environmental protection. It is also possible to reduce CO2 through hydrogen in the iron and steel manufacturing processes,” Blostein said. The steel tariffs had also affected Air Liquide’s business because when steel suppliers curtail their business, they also buy less. “Our business in Europe, for example, has been affected. But we do business around the world. The impact (of the tariffs) on our business has not been so severe. We do observe a slowdown in the US steel sector because of over-supply which is also not just because of China, but also because the US has some 10 million tonnes overcapacity. Actual steel consumption, according to our sources, was about 86Mt. My understanding is that we are at the end of a normal cycle, but this is not to suggest that we are moving toward a recession. US exports are lower because of high domestic demand,” Blostein maintained, adding that he expected some degree of uncertainty because of the changing economic situation and the regulations, as illustrated by the example of European steelmakers who have been calling for protection because they did not know the extent to which they will be affected. Professor Dr. Pino Tesè, the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh-based SMS Group Inc., addressed the “Innovative Transformation of the World of Metals in Times of Digitalisation and Industry 4.0”. He spoke of ‘engineering/design process transformation and fundamental process understanding’ and examined the foundation for design and analysis. He also discussed additive manufacturing. According to Professor Tesè, the future milestone for the metals industry was to achieve CO2 free steel production. The 2015 worldwide CO2 emissions from blast furnace iron smelting, and associated coke-

making and ancillary activities amounted to 2.0 billion tons of CO2 emitted. These blast furnace and coke-making CO2 emissions made up 5.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions from all fossil fuel burning. Hydrogen would serve as a reducing agent as it avoids carbon, and hydrogen is used to reduce iron ore, thereby averting the creation of CO2, and producing H2O (water) instead. The theme of protectionism, raised in US business circles, was discussed in another panel called “Global Protectionism: Complications, Implications and … Opportunities?” Avetik Chalabyan, senior partner at McKinsey & Co, said that although Section 232 gave a significant boost to flat and long steel prices and spreads, the effect was relatively short-lived for flat steel products. Section 232, whose main aim was to boost domestic steel production in the US, resulted in a steel import decline of 11% (2018 vs 2017) with a mixed picture by product. US domestic steel producers significantly benefited from import tariffs; however, the effect of Section 232 has been gradually diminishing over the last six months, Chalabyan said. He cited the example of the US automotive industry which experienced higher raw materials prices in 2018 thus pressurising its profit margins and, in the final analysis, affected end-customers. Tariffs – no significant impact The tariffs had no significant impact on steel import volumes from the European Union and Canada while Mexico increased it by 11%. However, there have been attempts by suppliers to divert their exports to other countries. The EU, for example, has seen a surge in steel imports, mainly from countries which diverted their exports, originally meant for the US market, following the Section 232 tariffs. As a result, the EU’s finished steel imports increased by 12% in 2018, driven mainly by an increase from those countries, which diverted their export volumes from the US market to the EU. Steel imports from Turkey, Russia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, declined in 2018 after the introduction of 25% trade tariffs. Mark D. Millet, president and CEO of Steel Dynamics, Inc, called for fair trade. “Free trade requires fair trade … a levelplaying field,” he said, adding that two large economies had supported free trade www.steeltimesint.com

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CONFERENCE REPORT: STEEL SUCCESS STRATEGIES XXXIV

– the United States and Europe – but they both had their limits. Saying that America was on the verge of becoming energy independent, which was going to drive growth, Millet refuted the notion of the emergence of “Fortress America”. “It’s not about Fortress America … it’s about creating America’s future steel industry,” he maintained. Sajjan Jindal, chairman/managing director of India’s JSW Steel, which has a growing presence In the states of Ohio and Texas – spoke of his company’s commitment to spend $1 billion in the US and stressed that steel formed the backbone of any infrastructure and construction project, and was central to the economic development of any country. “Steel, due to its unique properties is widely used and accepted in the transport, industrial, packaging and appliance sectors. With annual global consumption of 1.7 billion tonnes, it cannot be replaced with alternative materials anytime soon,” he declared, pointing out that India and China will have a “lion’s share of incremental global steel demand”. India offered the highest growth rates in global steel consumption. A number of steel services companies, such as technology providers and other specialised services, also participated in the conference. For example, representatives of Primetals Technologies, a leading engineering, plant-building and lifecycle services partner for the metals industry, closely followed the discussions at the conference. The company, headquartered in London, UK, offers a complete technology, product and service portfolio that includes integrated electrics, automation and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain, extending from the raw materials to the finished product – in addition to the latest rolling solutions for non-ferrous metals. Primetals is a joint venture between Siemens, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners. Dr. Thomas Pfatschenbacher, vice president (technology and innovation) at Primetals Austria GmbH, the Austrian subsidiary, assessed the global trends in the steel sector. “We don’t see much of greenfield projects taking place … we do a

September 2019

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lot of technological innovations … indeed, we offer third generation technology (used for new steel grades produced with alloys, an upgrade of the second generation technology) and have technological packages for the upgrading of plants,” he said in an interview with Steel Times International. China – the biggest steel market In his view, China Is the biggest market for steel, but there are also good opportunities in North America. “Europe is not making any high investments in steel. India is a big market, but it takes a long time to get things done there. It is a dynamic place, though. Turkey is a big market but its economy is in a difficult phase right now and investments there are slow,” Dr. Pfatschenbacher said. Asked if his company’s business had been affected by the ongoing US-China trade war, Primetals’ vice president said that his company, being a technology supplier, did not “feel the impact of the US-China trade war”. The production of the muchdiscussed autonomous car would require light steel to reduce the weight of the vehicle and also for safety measures. Ronald E. Ashburn, executive director of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST), underscored in an interview with Steel Times International that the AIST’s focus was to enhance steelmanufacturing technology. “Most other organisations focus on subjects like metallurgy. We cover the full spectrum of manufacturing, including safety, energy, liability, construction, training and project management, material movement, transportation, etc. This is indeed the world’s largest network of various specialised segments,” Ashburn said. On the prevalent global uncertainties and trade friction between the US and China, Ashburn said that rule of law was important and the world should strive to achieve fair trade. “If other countries followed fair trade, we would not have to resort to measures such as tariffs. Steel is a profit-making business

and it should not serve as a medium or a vehicle to export your unemployment problems,” he observed. Ashburn asserted that “we are rapidly approaching the day when the surge in arc furnaces will be the ‘new normal’ and there will be widespread use of arc furnaces”. According to Ashburn, the strength of steel now produced has increased sixfold. “New steels produced today are stronger and formidable and also lighter, giving them greater opportunities for their applications,” he said. “The autonomous car is coming. It is only a matter of time before the autonomous car is introduced,” he contended, adding that “I am optimistic about technology because it insulates us and it will be favourable for the American steel industry. Indeed, technology is key for the steel industry’s future development”. But the conference was not just about steel manufacturing and technology. Other players associated with steel transportation, for example, were also at the event to keep themselves abreast of developments and also to “see and be seen”, as one logistic company executive put it. The Port of Brownsville (PoB), in Brownsville, Texas, perched on the US/ Mexican border, handles a large volume of steel in trade with Mexico; it was at the conference to “feel the pulse”, as Antonio Rodriguez, PoB’s head of cargo and an expert in steel transportation, put it, after the imposition of steel tariffs under Section 232. PoB “got a scare” after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Mexico, Rodriguez told Steel Times International. “Our port experienced a little slowdown in 2018, but we believe that 2019 figures will stabilise at last year’s level,” Rodriguez said. He was relieved that the NAFTA partnership agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, had been reinstated, more or less, under the new USMCA. As the curtain came down on the conference, many participants concluded that things could not – and should not – be allowed to spiral out of control. The tariffs and the rise of protectionism notwithstanding, there was still hope that sane voices would prevail in the end. �

www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 09:50:10

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ROLLING

Speed pumps save electric power Variable speed drives to the emulsion pumps at the Bakaro tandem cold mill have resulted in electrical power savings of 5325kWh/day with additional benefits of lower pump maintenance, less wastage of emulsion and less cross mixing of emulsion between stands, but precautions must be taken to avoid harmonics being induced in nearby conductors. By A Prasad* , R RChoudhary*, S Parida*, C Kumar*, N Mondal*, R Prasad**, N C Thakur** & T. J Kumar**

Former emulsion flow control In cold rolling mills, the work rolls heat up due to friction between the strip being rolled and the work rolls. To reduce this, emulsion is sprayed onto the work rolls to cool them to prevent heating and hence

thermal expansion resulting in loss of gauge of the rolled strip. Cooling of the work rolls is not required during threading of the coil through the mill or during intermittent mill stoppages for coil and roll changes etc. In older mills, the emulsion pump motors run at full speed during such periods. As the emulsion pump motors are continuous duty motors, it is not advisable to frequently start on-off valve

Back pressure valve

PUMPING fluids in any industry account for between 25% and 50% of the total electrical energy used in the facility. Most pumping applications use asynchronous AC motors to drive the pumps which run at a fixed motor speed. The motor speed depends on its design: the number of poles, supply frequency and motor slip. Through proper design, retrofitting and operating practices, there is great potential for electrical energy savings in pumping applications with variable-duty requirements1. The Affinity law defines that the flow of fluid through a pump is proportional to its speed, the fluid pressure is proportional to the square of the speed and the power required is proportional to the cube of the shaft speed. In an application such as the supply of emulsion to the rolls of a tandem cold mill, reduced electrical energy consumption can be achieved by adjusting the speed of the motor to match the mill requirement. Moreover, with the advent of AC drives, it has become possible to control the speed of induction motors driving the pumps. At SAILâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bokaro Steel Plant at Jharkhand, India, a variable flow mill emulsion control system has been developed by controlling the speed of the AC pump motors in the tandem cold rolling mill.

spray

Fig 1. Former emulsion supply system at Bokaro #2 tandem cold mill

and stop them to stop the emulsion spray. Consequently, there is considerable waste of electrical energy as the pump remains running at full speed. Frequent start â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stopping of the pump motor also leads to hammering of the fluid in the pumps. To circumvent this problem, the need arises to control the flow of emulsion through speed reduction of the pump motor during threading and intermittent stoppages of the mill so that emulsion is not unnecessarily sprayed over the work rolls enabling

electrical power to the motors to be reduced with subsequent energy savings. In the older tandem cold rolling mill #2 at Bokaro Steel Plant, the emulsion flow control system was based on the mechanical scheme shown in Fig 1. The emulsions pumps were made to run at a fixed speed of around 1460rpm. In cases when the emulsion was not required, the spray line ON/OFF valve was closed. This resulted in an increase in pressure in the main header. Above the set pressure (56bar), the back pressure valve would open and the emulsion returned to the header tank via a return line. The maintenance of the valves was problematic due to line size (250NB) and its location below the mill. Leakage in the main header valve often prevented sufficient pressure to develop in the main header for the back pressure valve to open. This situation led to considerable waste of emulsion and intermixing of emulsion between different stands. The continuous running of the pump motor at the rated speed also led to considerable unnecessary use of electrical energy to the motors. New flow control The authors of this paper have designed and implemented an emulsion flow control system which enables the pump motor speed to be controlled to match the mill speed requirement. Each of the emulsion pump motors in Stands #1-5 are driven by AC motors of appropriate rating for that required for the attached pump. These drives were interfaced with

*Research & Development Centre for Iron and Steel, SAIL ** Cold Rolling Mill, Bokaro Steel Plant, SAIL ashitpd@sail-rdcis.com www.steeltimesint.com

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ROLLING

the existing PLC system which is based on the S7-400 Siemens PLC. This generated the digital output signal to the pump drive motor through the existing PLC system for automatic adjustment of the motor speed to around 25% of the rated rpm during mill preparation and any intermittent delay. During threading, the pumps run at 75% of the rated rpm at line speeds up to 150mpm and increase to 100% of the rated speed during normal running of the mill. To minimise the cost of capital items, the existing motors were used based on prior trials carried out in stand #5 using the existing emulsion pump motors. Electronic filters were installed on the output side of the drive to reduce harmonic distortion levels to within prescribed norms so that overheating of motors due to these harmonics was minimised. Armoured power cables were also installed between the drive panel and motor so that any electromagnetic interference due to harmonics generated by the drive panels were reduced to a minimum. With the installation of this system, the requirement for a back pressure valve and the return line was eliminated. The operation of the ON/OFF valve in the spray line was retained for use in emergency. The algorithm for providing the speed reference to the AC drive panels is based on the flow chart shown in Fig 2. The new flow control scheme is shown in Fig 3. Benefits of speed control The major benefit after the installation of the new variable speed emulsion flow control has been in terms of electrical energy saved. Each emulsion pump motor is a 160kW squirrel cage induction motor. There are 10 such motors installed in the mill to supply emulsion to all five stands. Of these 10 motors, a minimum of five are in operation to drive the emulsion pumps during rolling. With the speed control now introduced, the pumps run at 25% of the rated rpm during mill preparation time. The average time for mill preparation is five minutes and typically 60 coils per day are rolled, thus the time for which the pumps will be running at 25% of the rated rpm is 5hrs per day. Considering the 160kW rating of the pump motor, the electrical energy saved during this period is around 787kWh/motor/ day. Similarly, for every coil, the threading time is three minutes during which time the pump runs at 75% of the rated rpm. The electrical energy September 2019

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the variable speed drive. Other intangible benefits include: • A reduction in emulsion wastage due to spraying of emulsion onto the work rolls when not required during intermittent stoppage or threading of coils; • Management of emulsion for different grades of cold rolled sheet is also feasible and; • Prevention of change in concentration of emulsion in stand 5 and 4 due to intermixing of emulsion when the mill has stopped intermittently.

START

ON MODE SUP CUMULATIVE ON

CHECK FOR ON OR TEST MODE

LOOCAL CONTROL POST ON

DRIVE ENABLED

PULPIT CONTROL OR MILL CONTROL POST

MANUAL MODE

CHECK FOR AUTO MANUAL MODE

AUTO MODE

MOTOR SPEED 25%

CHECK FOR #5 TRACKING YES MOTOR SPEED 75%

CHECK FOR TAIL OUT

IF MILL SPEED>150MPM

Fig 2 Basis of the YES MOTOR SPEED 100%

algorithm to provide the speed reference to the AC drive

VFD drive

Existing PLC panel & control desk ON-OFF valve

spray Back pressure valve Fig 3. Variable speed emulsion flow control system

saved during the processing of 60coils/day is 277kWh/motor/day. The total electrical energy saved when processing 60coils per day totals 1065kWh/motor/day. With five motors running, this saving amounts to 5325kWh/day. It has also been established that any reduction in speed achieved by using a variable speed drive (VSD) has major benefits in reducing pump wear, particularly in bearings and seals which has resulted in the reduction in pump and motor failure due to soft starting incorporated through

Improving energy efficiency With the intensive energy consumption associated to pumping systems, there exists an enormous potential for improving energy efficiency and achieving large energy reductions. As energy costs continue to rise, it will become increasingly imperative to find ways to cut energy consumption2. The introduction of variable frequency drives in pumping applications is a key facet of this effort. Furthermore, with the ongoing development and enhancement of technologically advanced variable frequency drives, users have equipment with the ability to make an increasing contribution to operating performance. The new emulsion flow control system at the Bokaro tandem mill has demonstrated the tremendous opportunity of savings that often go well beyond energy and may include improved performance, improved reliability and reduced life cycle costs. Symmetrical armoured cables As a word of caution, care needs to be taken when installing the variable speed drives as it pollutes the power quality on input and outside of the drive. The harmonics generated through these drives affects other signals in the mill and may lead to erroneous reading by instruments. To circumvent these problems it is recommended that symmetrical armoured power cables are used between the drive panel and motor so that any electromagnetic interference due to harmonics generated by the drive panels are reduced to minimum. � References 1. US Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Variable speed pumping, Industrial Technologies Program. 2. Pumps and pumping system- Bureau of Energy Efficiency. www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 09:59:52

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ROLLING

Bearing solutions for hi-speed rolling The primary focus of this article is rolling mill auxiliary equipment operated at high and very high speeds. More specifically, it examines the tapered roller bearing construction of Timken’s 2TS-IMC and 2TSMA-IMC products. By Sorin Tudor*

THE mill stand (1) is the main equipment of the rolling mill line (Fig 1). It is used together with auxiliary equipment for steel (hot and cold, flat and long). Auxiliary equipment may include units such edgers (2) , shears (3), mill drive trains (4), table rollers (5) , reels (6), and straighteners, slitters, and levellers. The focus of this paper is on rolling mill auxiliary equipment operated under high and very high-speed conditions in conjunction with heavy loads. Bearings mounted on the input shafts of the gear drives of cold and tube mill drive trains – and those mounted on the output shafts of reels of steel cold mills – are the ones most often exposed to high or very high speeds. Bearings from the input shafts of gear drives operate under high speed mainly due to the high rotational speed coming from the electric motor, while those from the output shafts of reels operate under high speed mainly due to their very large inner ring bore diameter (see also ‘High Speed – theoretical considerations’). The Timken Company provides a range of solutions for rolling mill auxiliary equipment, comprising:

•Bearings:ball, tapered, cylindrical and spherical •Bearing-related products:housing units, lubrication and seals •Power transmission equipment: couplings, gears, belts and chains •Services:bearing inspection and repair,

condition monitoring systems Timken solutions help assure consistent operation for auxiliary equipment. The company’s tapered roller bearing construction of the 2TS-IMC and 2TSMAIMC has been developed by Timken for very high-speed operating conditions.

Fig 1. Rolling mill line

Fig 2. Gear drive

Output shaft (from motor) Output shaft (to pinion stand) Fig 3. Payoff/rewind reel

Mandrel output shaft

*Principal application engineer, Timken Europe Customer Engineering www.steeltimesint.com

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ROLLING

Fig 5. Damaged, cage-broken bearing

Fig 4. Mean inner ring large rib diameter Inner ring rib diameter

Fig 6. Burned SRB bearing

Mill drive train The mill drive train supplies mechanical energy to the top- and bottom-driven rollers of the rolling mill stand. The mill drive train is configured with an electrical motor, a gear drive (Fig. 2) and a pinion stand, all connected by couplings. The electrical motor generally covers a power range of 500 kW to 15 MW and has an angular rotational speed of 1500 rpm or more. The motor torque, measured in kNm, is tailored to meet the rolling mill’s operational requirements. The gear drive’s role is to increase the torque provided by the electrical motor simultaneously with the decrease in rotational speed. Motor torque increases with the gear ratio from the input to the output shaft. Angular rotational speed decreases with the gear ratio from input to output. The power remains approximately constant on all gear drive shafts, reduced only by the gear drive’s efficiency from input to output. There is tremendous variety among rolling mill gearbox configurations, including single, double and triple reduction. Despite the variations, all these gear drives are considered heavy-duty load and are designed for high reliability, with a typical bearing target L10 life of 50,000 hours or more. The pinion stand splits the gear drive’s output power in two for activating the driven rollers of the rolling mill stand. The reducer and pinion stand can be either separate units or a single, combined unit. September 2019

Timken.indd 2

Couplings connect the train’s components from the electrical motor to the mill stand and assure the transmission of power between them. In addition, they should handle torque, the misalignment between equipment, shocks, and vibrations. Payoff and rewind reels Strip mill lines generally include a coil process. Therefore, they have a minimum of one reel (Fig. 3) to either pay off or rewind the strip. These reels go by a variety of names, including coilers, uncoilers, winders, unwinders, and tension reels. 2. High speed – theoretical considerations a) Tapered roller bearings – speed evaluation The usual evaluation of the speed of a tapered roller bearing is made at the midpoint of the inner ring large rib (Fig. 4). The circumferential velocity is calculated here. The calculation formula is: v_r=(π×D_ m×n)/60000 Where: Dm = mean inner ring large rib diameter in mm, n = bearing speed rev/min This document considers a circumferential rib speed velocity of 15 m/s as the starting point of the high-speed field for tapered bearings operating on heavy-duty rolling mill auxiliary equipment. The bearings’ construction, their internal geometry, the lubricant and the lubrication system all need to be evaluated in heavy-duty/high-speed applications.

b) Spherical and cylindrical roller bearings – speed evaluation For Timken spherical roller (SRB) and cylindrical roller bearings (CRB), the thermal speed ratings are listed in the catalogue bearing tables. These values have been determined by balancing the heat generated within the bearing with the heat dissipated from the bearing. c) High-speed operating conditions – auxiliary equipment application concerns Today’s auxiliary equipment environments target maximum production rates. To reach this goal, the auxiliary equipment handles heavier loads and faster speeds than ever before. Bearing performance and damage become concerns in this case. Fig. 5 shows an example of a tapered roller-double outer ring (TDO) bearing damaged by cage breakage. The bearing was mounted on the high-speed input shaft of a gear drive and was also exposed to high acceleration and deceleration. The remaining bearing components (inner and outer rings and rollers) have been placed next to the TDO in the original bearing box. Post-damage analysis shows that the bearing components are in good shape except for the cages, which are broken. Fig. 6 shows an example of a burned spherical roller bearing that operated in a high-speed gear drive. 3. Innovative solutions for very highspeed rolling mill auxiliary equipment The designs traditionally used in gear drives and reels are SRB, CRB or TDO bearings. Bearing damage may manifest in these traditional bearings when operated at very high speeds in the form of burning/ overheating (poor lubrication) or cage damage (unloaded rows in the case of high axial loads, high cage clearance or high mounted endplay). The Timken Company has developed two new, tapered roller www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 11:28:01

FROM THE MINE TO THE STEEL MILL

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ROLLING

Fig 7. 2TS-IMC bearing assembly

Key

Carrier

2 TS Outer rings

a Keyway

Carrier

b Lubrication groove

Lubrication radial holes

Springs

bearings (the 2TS-IMC and 2TSMA-IMC) to address these issues. a) 2TS-IMC – two single rows indirectmounted in a carrier The 2TS-IMC bearings are designed for operating on rolling mill auxiliary equipment where the rib speed exceeds 25 m/s. The 2TS-IMC bearing assembly is made up of two single tapered roller bearings (TS=tapered roller bearing, single row). The TS bearings are indirect-mounted (IM=indirect mounting) into a carrier (C=carrier), as shown in Fig. 7a above. Every TS bearing’s outer rings are blocked against rotation by means of a key (Fig. 7b). The carrier is keyed into the housing (Fig. 7c) to prevent such rotation. The 2TS-IMC bearing assembly has spring-loaded outer rings (Fig. 7c) in order to keep the TS bearing’s rows permanently seated and to induce zero internal operational endplay. The assembly reduces cage vibration and the risk of damage. The bearing has features to accommodate a circulating oil system and a special design for improving bearing lubrication and reducing the risk of overheating. This special design involves collecting the oil flow via a lubrication groove manufactured on the outside diameter of the carrier and pointed at the roller’s small end (the area between the cage bore and the inner ring’s small rib outer diameter) through radial and September 2019

Timken.indd 3

Lubrication axial holes

axial lubrication holes (Fig. 7d). The internal geometry of the bearing’s rings and rollers is designed to reduce heat generation under very high-speed operating conditions and for mitigation of the risk of cage damage. b) 2TSMA-IMC – two single rows with axial oil provision (MA=manifold), indirect-mounted in a carrier At normal operating speeds, the oil is carried inside the bearing from the small end to the large end of the roller (Fig. 8). At high speeds, the lubricant begins to move outward due to centrifugal effects. Centrifugal force throws all the oil out of the cup, bypassing the roller end-rib contact area. The contact between the roller’s large end and the inner ring’s rib thus becomes critical because of the risk of overheating. In order to reduce this risk, the 2TSMA-IMC bearing’s construction is engineered to be effective in rolling mill auxiliary equipment where rib speeds exceed 35 m/s. 2TSMA-IMC bearings (Fig. 9a) have all the design elements of the 2TS-IMC and, in addition, feature a special component (the manifold) to ensure adequate lubrication of the critical roller’s large end-rib contact area and to reduce the risk of bearing overheating. The manifold is a machined piece pressed onto the inner ring outside diameter (Fig. 9b). The concept works by

capturing oil driven by centrifugal forces in this manifold and directing it to the critical roller large end-rib contact area through holes drilled axially in the inner ring. 4. Case Study – The Timken high-speed coiler gear drive A well-known aluminium company opened a new mill complex, completing the first phase of a huge modernisation project. The centerpiece is a new aluminium cold rolling mill that produces the world’s widest flat-rolled aluminium strips for aerospace applications. Timken equipped the mandrel output shaft of its coiler gear drive (Fig. 10). The coilers were built by a longtime Timken customer who is also one of the largest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the world. High speed operating conditions Traditional bearing designs (SRB, CRB and TDO types) cannot accommodate extreme high-speed operating conditions (maximum rib speed of 35 m/s) because of their imposed very large inner ring bore diameter (~660 mm) combined with a maximum rotational speed of 900 rpm. The new Timken 2TSMA-IMC bearing, part number NP293620 – NP995047 (Fig 11), was designed for these precise conditions. The bearing’s internal geometry has been precisely engineered to reduce the risks of overheating and cage damage. www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 11:28:03

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ROLLING

Direction of oil flow at high speed

Fig 9. 2TSMA-IMC bearing Roller endrib contact area Manifold

Direction of oil flow at normal speed

Lubrication axial holes through inner ring

Fig 8. Lubrication centrifugal effect at high speed

Mandrel output shaft Fig 10. Coiler gearbox

Fig 11. 2TSMA-IMC NP293620 – NP995047 bearing schematic

Fig 12. Oil jets

Specifications Timken also provided lubricant specifications and lubrication system recommendations (oil features, oil flow quantity and oil jet position) for the aluminium company’s new coiler gear drive (Fig. 12). During drive operation, oil jets pump oil into the manifold area. The manifold captures the oil using centrifugal forces and directs it to the critical roller large end-rib contact area through holes drilled axially in the inner ring. Testing the coiler gear drive The OEM tested the coiler gear drive at maximum output speed for an hour, which meant the 2TSMA-IMC NP293620 – NP995047 bearing had to operate consistently at a rib speed of 35 m/s. During testing, the bearing’s temperature remained constant at 80°C. Vibration levels stayed within acceptable limits, and the post-test inspection showed that the cage withstood the testing conditions well. www.steeltimesint.com

Timken.indd 4

Coiler gearbox lubrication

5. Summary and conclusions 1. Today’s rolling mill environments target maximum production rates. To reach this goal, mill auxiliary equipment handles heavier loads and faster speeds than ever before. Bearing life and damage become serious concerns. 2. The Timken Company provides a complete range of solutions for auxiliary equipment including bearings (ball, tapered, cylindrical and spherical), bearingrelated products (housing units, lubrication and seals), power transmission equipment (couplings, gears, belts and chains) and services (bearing inspection and repair, condition monitoring systems). These solutions help assure consistent operation for rolling mill auxiliary equipment operated under heavy-duty load conditions. 3. The 2TS-IMC and 2TSMA-IMC tapered roller bearings have been developed by Timken for rolling mill auxiliary equipment operated under very high-speed conditions

(rib speed over 25 m/s). The internal geometry of the bearings’ rings and rollers are designed to reduce heat generation under these conditions. These bearings have been tested on rolling mill lines and meet customer expectations. 4. The advantages of 2TS-IMC and 2TSMA-IM construction versus traditional SRB, CRB or TDO designs include: a. Ability to reach a higher speed with a high-load capability b. Reducing the risk of bearing burning by assuring correct lubrication c. Reducing the risk of cage damage (unloaded rows under high axial loads, high cage clearance, or high mounted end play) 5. The 2TS-IMC and 2TSMA-IMC cup carriers enable the use of the same assembly on fixed and floating shaft positions. Acknowledgments The author would like to thank The Timken Company for permission to publish this study.

References Timken Engineering Manual, Metals Industry Edition (2013) – The Timken Company (Order No. 10688) Timken Metals Product Catalog (2014) – The Timken Company (Order No. 10675) Timken Super Precision Bearings for Machine Tool Applications – The Timken Company (Order No. 5918) September 2019

02/09/2019 11:28:06

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21/01/2019 11:50

PROFILE

Moving into additive manufacturing With sales in over 160 countries, and manufacturing facilities in Europe, China, India and USA, Sweden’s stainless steel and super alloy producer, Sandvik, offers a wide portfolio of materials and services including autonomous mining vehicles, cutting tools, furnace equipment, seamless tubes, strip and metal powders for both conventional powder metallurgy and additive manufacture on 3-D printers. By Tim Smith* SITUATED 160km NW of Stockholm on the northern shore of Lake Storsjön, stainless steel and super alloy producer, Sandvik, has over 150 years of steelmaking heritage. The town, Sandviken is very much a company town established with the arrival of the steelworks founded by Göran Fredrik Göransson in 1862. Bessemer steel Göransson was the first person to make commercially saleable Bessemer steel two years after Bessemer patented the method in 1856. Göransson took a 20% share in the process from the start and installed a converter at the Elfstrand company’s Högbo blast furnace at Edsken, 30km SWW of Sandviken. However, the industrial recession of 1857 put him into bankruptcy before he perfected the process. Fortunately, the Receivers of Elfstand Co continued to fund trials and, following the enlargement of the converter bottom tuyeres to produce a harder blow and the availability of local charcoal low in sulphur compared to coke, and iron from acid ores, successful casts were achieved in July 1858. With the success of the process, a larger site was sought and in January 1862, construction of the works at Sandviken (Sandy bay) commenced.

2 1. The 75t AOD converter decarburizes while retaining Cr

2. A 4t Bessemer converter in use from 1875 to 1947 overlooks Sandvik works in Sandviken 3. 90% of steel is cast as bloom 4. Over 150 years of steelmaking has created this legacy slag heap

5. Coiling of stainless seamless tube

*Consulting Editor, Steel Times International www.steeltimesint.com

Sandvick.indd 1

September 2019

02/09/2019 11:37:09

PROFILE

Business area

Materials technology

Machining solutions

Mining & rock technology

Divisions

Tube

Sandvik Coromant

Underground drilling

Kanthal

Seco

Loading & hauling

Strip

Walter

Rock tools

Dormer Pramet

Crushing & screening

Machining Soln supply

Rock drills & tech.

Additive manufacture

Mechanical cutting

Powder

Parts & services

Applied Manufacturing tech

Surface drilling & exploration

Pedestal drills 6 Share of Revenue

15%

40%

43%

Share of Profit

53%

39%

Table 1. Divisions within business areas

Today, Sandvik is a global engineering group, with a multi-million revenue turnover employing a workforce of 41,670 across the world. It consists of three business areas: Sandvik Materials Technology, Sandvik Machining Solutions and Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. (Table 1). In 2018, the company reported an operating profit of SEK 18,625M (€1771M) up 27.4% on 2017 when adjusted for items affecting comparability. Order intake was SEK 102,440M (€9731.8M) up 7.3% year-on-year and Revenue SEK 100,072M (€9506.8M) up 10.17% year-on-year. Mining topped revenue income at 34%, followed by engineering (23%), automotive (12%), energy (11%), construction (9%), aerospace (6%) and 5% from other markets. Europe was the main market area at 38% of revenue, followed by North America (21%), Asia (20%), Africa & Middle East (9%), Australia (7%) and South America (5%). The company divested itself of stainless steel wire production and welding wire during 2018, but acquired the metrology software company Metrologic, the horizontal drilling mining company Inrock, the industrial heating group Custom Electric and the toolmaking companies DuraMill and Kunshan Ousike during the year. In 2019 it acquired Newtrax, a company specialising in wireless connectivity in underground mines. Sandvik spends around SEK 3.7 billion (€350M) on R&D annually, employing 2,700 in this activity across 60 R&D centres worldwide. It has 6,000 active patents globally. Steelmaking and processing The company has a 75 tonne 70MVA September 2019

Sandvick.indd 2

6. Powder ded fusion laser fusing powder layers

electric arc furnace to melt stainless steel scrap. Typically, a charge is 84% scrap and 16% pig iron. The 5.6m hearth has two bottom porous plugs and a lance manipulator. Tap-to-tap time is 50 minutes and 15 heats a day are normal, giving a potential annual capacity in the order of 400kt. Adjusting alloy content The steel is transferred to a 75t AOD converter (Argon Oxygen Decarburisation) to reduce carbon content while retaining chromium in the melt, the argon diluting the decarburising oxygen to reduce oxidation of the chromium. In addition, lower cost high carbon ferro-alloys can be added to adjust the alloy content without increasing the carbon content of the final melt, which is generally aimed to be below 0.02% to minimise the formation of chrome carbides which reduce the corrosion resistance of the steel. 2-3t of alloy trim can be added in the AOD as well as lime as a slag former. Refining time is between 30 to 120 minutes depending on the steel required. Final alloy trim can be made in a ladle furnace rated at 13MVA which has inductive stirring and bottom porous plugs for mixing. Dust is collected and treated for recovery of alloying elements by a third-party company. Like-wise, slag is granulated on tapping and processed for metal recovery. Some is then used in road metalling and as a cement extender. 90% of the steel is continuously cast on a three-strand bloom caster, the remainder being ingot cast using uphill teeming in groups of four moulds. Ingot weights are either 3.4t or 6.5t and are required for large forgings or for alloys that cannot be cast on the curved continuous caster.

Ingot and bloom are broken down in an operator-driven reversing blooming mill followed by a reversing roughing mill and then pass through a continuous bar mill and finishing mill. Hydraulic and instrumentation tubing are key products for Sandvik which operates mills on three continents to assure rapid supply for applications such as the offshore oil industry where severe conditions of temperature, humidity and chloride must be overcome. Sandvik aims for compositions that are at the upper end of the ASTM specifications to improve pitting corrosion resistance equivalent (PRE) which is defined as %Cr + 3.3 x %Mo + 16 x %Ni). The tubes are annealed to produce a sufficiently soft tube capable of being bent to any required shape without wall collapse. A state-of-the-art mandrel piercing mill was commissioned in 2012, one of its products being seamless tube for nuclear steam generation. All stages of the tube process from manufacture through annealing, final finishing and inspection to despatch, are within one facility. Sandvik is one of only three companies capable of producing steam generator tubes for nuclear pressure water reactors. Hot rolled strip is produced on a Steckel mill and thin gauge strip by subsequent cold rolling. Product portfolio Sandvik’s product portfolio includes billet and bloom, bar and seamless tube, plate and sheet, strip, controlled expansion alloys, metal powders and products for furnaces. These are available in a wide range of austenitic, duplex and martensitic stainless steels as well as titanium and, in powder form, other non-ferrous alloys. Supplying materials for solar and wind turbine power generation is a particular focus for Sandvik. www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 11:37:10

PROFILE 7

9 8

7. 3D-laser fusion printer with hopper to replenish powder on far left 8. The unbreakable guitar in titanium and stainless steel 9. Powder production by Vacuum Inert Gas Atomisation

The company has an excellent safety record with a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate of 1.7 per million hours worked. Sustainability Despite the skyline being dominated by a legacy slag heap representing over 150 years of steelmaking, Sandvik is committed to UN sustainable development goals, not only within its plants, but by providing customers with products that enable them to reduce their carbon footprint. For example, it provides battery-driven underground equipment to address the problem of diesel particulate matter in mines and produces coated strip for cell bipolar interconnect plates for mobile ‘phones and hydrogen fuel cells, the latter illustrated by running a Hyundai car equipped with this technology. Total energy consumption in 2018 was reduced 11% year-on-year to 8030TJ and CO2 emissions were down 0.9% at 337kt. Electricity consumption accounted for nearly half (48%) of the total 3864TJ energy used of which 27% came from renewable generation reducing CO2 emissions 20%. At Sandvik’s plant at Gimo, Sweden, fuel oil heating has been replaced by district heating generated using bio-gas resulting in CO2 emissions falling by an estimated 1850t a year. The company buys back used cemented carbide tools for recycling and is using used refractories as slag formers. Recycled scrap accounts for 84% of the furnace charge. Innovation Sandvik focuses on innovations that help customers increase productivity and energy efficiency, improve safety and make use of the opportunities that are arising with September 2019

Sandvick.indd 3

digitalisation and automation. One such innovation is metal additive manufacturing using Sandvik’s 150 years of experience in the metal business and nearly 50 years of knowledge in metal powder production, now applied to 3-D printing of metal components. Additive manufacturing 3-D printing, in which a component is built up layer-by-layer, has commonly been associated with using plastic as the media of construction, and, today, this accounts for 90% of all 3-D printed components. However, sculptured foodstuffs – such as chocolate and wedding cakes, medical implants, shoes and even concrete are other examples of materials now using 3-D printing. In 2013, Sandvik, set up an R&D centre to investigate how its wide range of metal powders could be used to make robust lightweight components by using additive manufacturing (AM). Sandvik is well versed in the production of metals in powder form, as well as conventional bar and billet, having acquired the UK-based company, Osprey Metals Ltd in 1984. Osprey Metals, today called Sandvik Osprey, is based in Neath, South Wales, was formed in 1974 to manufacture metal powder by atomising a stream of molten metal in a vacuum using high pressure inert gas. Such powders are used for metal injection moulding (MIM) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to create near net shape components requiring little if any finishing. Low alloy steels, tool steels – including maraging steels, high Ni superalloys, austenitic and duplex stainless steels, aluminium, copper and titanium are some of the more than 2000 powders Sandvik offers.

A key factor in the properties of these powders is their spherical nature, which aids flowability, and their close size distribution which is selected around the peak of the normal distribution curve by sieving out the largest and smallest particles. For 3-D printing, finer particles than those used for HIP or MIM are required in the size range 15 to 45 micron. 2017 saw the formation of Sandvik Additive Manufacturing within the business area of Sandvik Machining Solutions. This took Sandvik beyond R&D trials and prototyping, to providing an internal and external business in additive manufacturing. At the moment, Sandvik is investing 200M SEK (€19M or $21M) in a new plant for manufacturing titanium and nickel fine metal powders for additive manufacturing. The investment, in a new purpose-built building, will complement the existing powder production facilities within the Sandvik Group by adding a new Vacuum Inert Gas Atomisation (VIGA) system with integral powder production to produce titanium powder, plus two automated sizing machines – one for titanium powder and the other for nickel, to avoid cross contamination, and robotic packing of the powders in 6kg and 12kg containers respectively. All packaging is performed in an inert atmosphere and the powders protected by inert gas in the sealed container. Sizing will come on stream this year and titanium powder production in early 2020. The Sandvik site already possesses numerous 3-D printers covering a range of different AM-technologies for metals. Each machine is dedicated to a particular metal powder so as to avoid cross contamination. As part of the investment, Sandvik bought several Renishaw Ren AM 500Q quad www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 11:37:28

PROFILE

10. Multiple components are built up simultaneously 11. Scaffolding (left) required to 3-D print a shoe (right) for Lady Gaga

laser machines from its UK manufacturer to speed up the process of powder bed fusion laser by replacing the single laser of earlier machines with four independently operating lasers each simultaneously sintering a quarter of the multiple components on the printer’s platen. This speeds up production by a factor of about three – as it takes time to spread each new layer of powder. Four principal methods of printing are available at Sandvik: a) Powder Bed Fusion Laser is the most common accounting for 85% of AM production. Various approaches are available, but in essence a metal powder is spread in a thin layer across a horizontal platen approximately 30cm square. A laser controlled by CAD software sweeps across the powder to fuse the layer as a slice of the component to be made. Multiple identical components can be constructed side-by-side in this way on a single layer of powder. The platen is incrementally lowered and another layer of powder 50µ or so thick is then swept over the surface and laser fusion/powder layering repeated until the component is complete. Excess powder is recovered and can be reused. A problem with this method is that any part of the component with a gradient greater than 45° requires ‘scaffolding’ to support the powder prior to fusion. This scaffolding has to be machined off on completion. b) Powder Bed Fusion Electron Beam requires a vacuum chamber for the electron beam, controlled by CAD software, to fuse the powder. The powder is preheated to semi-sinter it which avoids the need for scaffolding for steeply sloping areas of the component. Mechanical properties of the finished article are also somewhat superior than with laser fusion. However, September 2019

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the sintered bed requires 24 hours to cool before extracting the components and excess powder cannot be recycled as it is sintered. However, a project at Huddersfield University, UK, using a medium energy ion scattering accelerator, is aiming to avoid the need for pre-sintering thereby enabling excess powder to be recycled. c) Binder jetting delivers a high-loaded powder with binder to the print head. The binder enables the component to be built up layer-by-layer producing a green component which has to be sintered to harden and remove the binder. Dimensions will then shrink in all directions on sintering. d) Stereolithography uses an ultra violet laser to cure a resin bonded powder built up layer-by-layer. Excess resin is removed chemically after completion and the finished article may be subjected to a further ultraviolet curing in an oven. Sandvik uses this process to print super-hard materials such as diamond composite, for a range of industrial applications. When to use AM A recent report by the Metal Powder Industries Federation compared the manufacture of a truck gear by traditional machining with that using powder techniques. In the traditional subtractive machining case, 17 steps were required, while with additive manufacturing only six were required, each step bringing an energy and materials saving. Another advantage is that production can be undertaken locally reducing the need for a large inventory of spares. In a remote location, such as an off-shore oil platform, that has a particular advantage. Likewise, short production runs of prototype components can be made and easily

modified as required. Additive manufacturing is best used for extremely complex components and where weight saving is important. Hence, its application is particularly targeted at the aerospace industry where every kilogram of weight saved equates to a reduction in fuel costs of around $3,000 a year with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. Weight reduction is also important in land transport, in particular trucks, where lower weight means greater payload and hence fewer journeys. Additive manufacturing can thus play a significant role in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Sandvik advocates three stages of additive manufacturing: 1. Plan it: A simple product will be cheaper to machine rather than 3-D printed which can be 50 to 100 times more expensive, so use the technique only for complex articles and incorporate light-weighting in the design. Choose the appropriate material, make an optimal design and select the most suitable method of additive production. 2. Print it: Sandvik has available powder bed fusion – both by laser and electron beam, binder jetting and stereolithography. The method selected depends on the characteristics required in the endcomponent. 3. Perfect it: Post treatment of the component is generally required after printing, such as the removal of support structures by machining, heat treatment, sintering – as well as testing for quality assurance. Examples of components Milling head: Sandvik Coromant’s tool division wanted to reduce weight on its www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 11:37:35

PROFILE

CoroMillR 390 milling head. Previously machined from steel, using additive manufacturing in titanium powder for the core of the head, the weight was reduced by 80% which enabled the milling speed to be increased, resulting in reduced vibration and increased productivity between 50% to 200%, depending on application. Seco Tools Coolant clamps: Seco wanted to direct coolant to the tip of the cutting tool held by the clamp more precisely. The traditional clamp had two straight holes drilled through it to channel coolant, but to take the coolant closer to the tool tip, curved holes were needed – impossible to drill. This was achieved by 3-D printing the clamp, the Seco logo being used as part of the support scaffold during printing. Oil well drill heads: The threads of Varel nozzles for oil well drills in cemented carbide were difficult to cut by machining due to the hardness of the material. Binder jetting overcame this problem producing clean precise threads. The most recent innovation launched in May this year is a 3D-printed synthetic diamond composite produced from a slurry of diamond powder and polymer cured by UV light stereolithography. This is followed by a proprietary post treatment involving heat and pressure. With applications of wear resistance or in cutting tools, the diamond is three times stiffer than steel, has greater heat conductivity than copper, low thermal expansion close to invar and low density close to aluminium. The life of the product is calculated to be 10 times greater than that of cemented carbide and 100 times greater than a tool steel www.additive.sandvik/diamond

LEADERS IN CUSTOMISED HANDLING SOLUTIONS

Unbreakable guitar Sandvik does have a lighter side to the application of additive manufacturing. They built an unbreakable guitar for rock legend Yngwie Malmsteen who, spurred by the actions of Jimi Hendrix, would smash his guitar at the end of every performance. Designed by Andy Holt, the body of the electric guitar was made by powder printing in titanium incorporating a complex internal lattice to reduce weight while maintaining strength. It took 56 hours of powder bed laser fusion building up layers 50µ at a time. Volume knobs and tailpiece string anchors were also laser printed. The body was finally milled to give a bright finish. The fretboard, made of 316L stainless conventionally rolled, was scalloped by milling to just 1mm thick. This is reinforced by an isotropic lightweight structure made from interlocking laser cut hyper duplex stainless steel sheet. Weighing 6kg, the construction of the instrument and Yngwie’s failure to smash it can be seen in a seven-minute video at www.additive.sandvik/en/ guitar/ The demand for metal powder for additive manufacturing is expected to increase significantly. Titanium and nickelbased alloys are key growth areas in the field of additive manufacturing, accounting for a significant portion of the metal powder market. At the start of 2019, powder production was transferred from Sandvik Materials Technology to the additive manufacturing division, within Sandvik Machining Solutions. � www.additive.sandvik

+353 47 80500

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SPECIAL AND STAINLESS STEELS

Restoring

the George

Even though the George Washington Bridge is nearly 90 years old, it adapted to increasing traffic by adding a second deck below the original one in the 1960s, and is now the busiest bridge in the world. © The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles hurry across the George Washington Bridge every day. The aging bridge is one of only three ways to enter Manhattan from New Jersey by car, and it sees more vehicle traffic than any other bridge on Earth. But it is in need of critical repairs. Coming to George’s aid is Type 316LN stainless steel rebar, which will revitalise the crumbling concrete decks of this most important passageway. FIRST built in 1931, the George Washington Bridge spans the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan with Fort Lee in New Jersey. An unrivaled average of 300,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day. Its importance as a travel route means that any type of disruption poses a major challenge to both commuters and those tasked with September 2019

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maintaining traffic ﬂow. Repairing giant George When it debuted during the Great Depression, the George Washington Bridge was a state-of-the-art engineering marvel – twice as long as any other suspension bridge before it. The George is truly massive; its highest towers rise 185

metres above the Hudson, and its upper and lower decks carry eight and six lanes of traffic, respectively. Despite its size and grandeur, after nearly 88 years of heavy traffic, drastic temperature swings, and exposure to both de-icing and marine salts, this vital passageway is in grave need of repair. Indeed, minimal updates have been made to the bridge since 1961, when the www.steeltimesint.com

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SPECIAL AND STAINLESS STEELS

Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) on-ramp helix at the New Jersey end of the bridge where Type 316LN stainless steel rebar is being incorporated. A temporary on-ramp has been constructed to divert traffic during the restoration. © The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

lower deck was added. To meet current repair needs, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ), the owner of the bridge, is undertaking a decade-long, US$1.9 billion rehabilitation initiative. ‘Restoring the George’ consists of 11 individual projects, each with staggered starting dates to minimise impact on traffic. Currently, one of these projects is incorporating approximately 1,300 tons of Type 316LN stainless steel concrete rebar, for both pre-cast components and castin-place deck segments. This rebar will be integral to replacing the decks of the massive helix on-ramps and of the merging lanes that lead on and off the bridge into New Jersey. However, any construction has to be carefully planned to avoid the blocking of lanes, which would cause major delays to commuter traffic. To this end, work takes place only one or two lanes at a time, from midnight to 5am, mostly on weekends. The installation of durable stainless steel instead of lower-cost carbon steel rebar will help to extend the service life of the bridge decks signiﬁcantly, minimising future repair, maintenance needs, and associated traffic delays. New York City winters and salty coastal air, combined with an unparalleled level of traffic, mean the George Washington Bridge takes an exceptionally hard beating. September 2019

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During winter, the bridge is frequently exposed to aggressive de-icing salt slurries that permeate the bridge deck. The salts eventually reach the steel reinforcing bar embedded in the concrete. Regular carbon steel rebar corrodes in this situation. Rust forming on the steel surface is porous and more voluminous than steel. As it exerts pressure on the concrete from within, the concrete spalls and crumbles, allowing even more salts to penetrate the deck, further accelerating deterioration. Corrosion-resistant solution New York City’s high level of chloride salt exposure, therefore, necessitates an especially corrosion-resistant solution – Type 316LN stainless steel rebar. Thanks to the addition of 2% molybdenum, this alloy has excellent corrosion resistance to chlorides from de-icing salt or marine atmospheres. Stainless steel rebar is a small, but growing market segment in construction where local conditions are especially hard on carbon steel rebar, such as in North America’s ‘Snow Belt’, or along its coasts. The corrosion of carbon steel rebar is the primary factor in the deterioration of concrete, so molybdenumcontaining stainless steel rebar will not only last longer than carbon steel rebar, but also contribute to the longevity of surrounding

materials. The result is a bridge that will need comparatively little maintenance over its lifecycle. Because stainless steel rebar is not affected by chlorides that permeate the concrete over time, the traditionally used thickness of the concrete cover, needed to delay carbon steel corrosion, can be signiﬁcantly reduced. The bridge deck can, therefore, be made lighter, reducing the load on the foundations and support structures, which in turn can be downsized as well, leading to overall cost savings. The total project cost increase, as installed, is consequently quite modest when using stainless steel rebar, typically in the range of 1 to 10%. The much longer service life of the structure translates to significantly lower life cycle cost. A unique challenge Although the harsh environment, age and traffic volume collectively pose a unique challenge in maintaining the George Washington Bridge, the use of stainless steel rebar ensures that it will be a long time before its deck has to be restored again. With the help of molybdenumcontaining stainless steel, the George will provide a safe passage over the Hudson, with minimal disruption, for many generations to come. � www.steeltimesint.com

02/09/2019 10:22:00

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STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steel, the ‘green’ metal Jindal Stainless (Hisar) has marked a steady start to the financial year by posting 6% growth in profits after tax. The company has enjoyed a stable first quarter as it continues to leverage strong operational capabilities. The business is focused on enhancing revenue through new application development and strengthening its product portfolio for domestic markets. While there are challenges, such as unstable raw material prices and other global tensions surrounding unwarranted imports, the company is confident about its long-term growth. In this article, Abhyuday Jindal* examines the green credentials of stainless steel

OVER the past two decades, modern infrastructure has not only burgeoned, but it has evolved in alignment with the idea of sustainability. As recognition for sustainable infrastructure is on the rise, public infrastructure is gradually shifting from conventional metals to progressive ones suitable for modern construction, highways, and high-speed rails. Even in developing countries like India, we witness a conscious adoption of ecological construction practices. Considering the accelerated rate of depletion of our natural resources, it is essential to rethink the skeletal designs of

modern infrastructure. Raw materials, from their extraction to product manufacturing, and eventually to their waste disposal, pose a grave threat to the environment. According to the World Resource Institute, the production of Portland cement alone represents 8% of the total global greenhouse gas releases from human sources. Similarly, the unprecedented degree of deforestation occurring worldwide to produce wood for building construction has been alarming. Stainless steel heralds the era of eco-friendly building materials which will signiﬁcantly

reduce the domino impact of environmental degradation. Interestingly, after paving paths in research and development of environmentfriendly alternatives to the housing problem, stainless steel is becoming an increasingly preferred option as a structural material. According to the World Steel Association, compared to its immediate competitor mild steel, stainless steel production emits reduced amounts of CO2 (Carbon dioxide). In fact, stainless steel’s carbon footprint is much smaller than that of other metals. Its long term life and lower lifecycle costs make

* Managing director, Jindal Stainless September 2019

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STAINLESS STEEL

it an ideal environmental performer unlike any other material. Stainless steel has emerged as the new-age green metal because it is nearly 100% recyclable. According to the Indian Stainless Steel Development Association, around half of the stainless steel currently being used has been sourced and recycled from its own scrap. This inherently robust material can be recycled an inﬁnite number of times without causing damage to the local environment. When it comes to providing an alternative sustainable option for infrastructural use, stainless steel not only demonstrates better performance, ﬁre resistance, quake resistance, and cost www.steeltimesint.com

stainless steel jindal.indd 2

effectiveness, but also attracts onlookers with its unmistakable aesthetic appeal. The material requires low maintenance and has a long life, both strong indicators of the lowest level of impact on the planet. Industry experts opine that stainless steel, in its use and production processes, respects the 3Ps – People, Planet, Proﬁt – meaning that it does not violate the health and safety codes that will affect people, does not cause as much damage to the environment as other metals, and offers the consumer long-term value and reliability. A detailed and precise analysis of the sustainability of stainless steel makes its choice a logical one. It has also been established that environments with higher pollution levels or marine exposure struggle with accelerated deterioration in most materials. Untimely wear and tear of concrete infrastructure due to corrosion, especially along the coastline, is a major economic and technical challenge for civil engineers across the world. However, that is not the case when it comes to stainless steel. The corrosion rates of copper and aluminium are typically 10 to 100 times more than that of stainless steel in such environments. Recently, China built its state-of-the-art 55 km long Hongkong – Zhuhai – Macau bridge using 10,000 tonnes of stainless steel rebar, declaring the bridge’s corrosion-free life of more than 120 years. This iconic structure is not only an engineering marvel, but testimony to the fact that stainless steel is the most suitable metal for coastal regions. Environment-friendly infrastructural materials are those that make optimal use of resources, produce minimum waste, have a longer maintenance-free lifecycle, and are safe for the environment and people. The increasing awareness about stainless steel proves this metal’s mettle. When it came to renewing a road bridge over a railway line in Belgium, the public infrastructure management company, Infrabel, selected duplex stainless steel. This grade’s longterm durability is an advantage in an environment where de-icing salt is regularly used in winters. In Tokyo, replacement of water service pipelines with stainless steel pipes reduced water losses from 15% to 2%. This translated into savings to the tune of US$4 billion. The metal has also been used in Seoul, South Korea, in water treatment plants, water reservoirs, and water supplying pipes because of its impressive hygienic properties. Another reason to use this metal in supplying water

is that it prevents leakages in water pipes caused by corrosion, and inhibits toxic release in the stored water. Global bus body manufacturers such as Volvo, Scania and Optare are producing buses made of stainless steel since it provides the safest mode of transport. Even electric buses in Europe are made out of stainless steel, because it reduces the weight of the bus and significantly increases its battery life. In the space of urban infrastructure, the need is to combine utilitarian benefits with aesthetic delight. From bus queue shelters to footbridges, stainless steel increases the life of structures by nearly three times, thereby reducing maintenance, and making it the most cost efficient sustainable option. Demand growth Given the increasing acceptance of stainless steel witnessed in advanced economies like Russia and South Korea, the demand for this futuristic and sustainable metal is estimated to grow at a pace of 4.55.5% globally over the next five years. The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF), in its latest report, confirmed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% in the world’s stainless steel production, with the world’s melt production in FY18-19 standing at 50.7Mt. With a melt production of 3.74Mt, India once again stood as the second largest producer and consumer of stainless steel in the world in FY1819. Used in a wide array of applications, ranging from ABC (architecture, buildings, and construction), ART (automobiles, railways, and transport), process industries, kitchenware and white goods, India’s stainless steel demand is growing at a steady CAGR of 8-9%. The ABC segment has recognised stainless steel as a one-stop solution for minimising ecological damage. Similarly, ART has also harnessed stainless steel for its light weight characteristic, which in turn greatly enhances fuel efficiency. This is over and above the comfort of safety ensured by this metal, arising from its resistance to temperature and impact shocks. As per industry estimates, in India alone, the consumption of stainless steel in ABC and ART segments has risen to around 20% and 12% respectively. It is noteworthy that a selfsustainable domestic stainless steel industry, producing world-class material, is set to lead India towards becoming a sustainable economy in the coming years. � September 2019

02/09/2019 10:24:48

PERSPECTIVES: VOITH

Satisfying customer demands Voith Turbo North America is bang up-to-date with the latest industrial trends, particular those that revolve around operational data acquisition. The company’s Kyle Kluttz* claims that Voith is working closely with several operators to provide new technologies 1. How are things going at VOITH? Is the steel industry keeping you busy? Voith was established over 150 years ago, and I believe we are in an era similar to other historic industrial revolutions that have strengthened Voith as a company. Our motto is ‘Inspiring Technology for Generations’ and this statement not only speaks to our history, but also to our vision for future generations. Voith is rapidly improving already proven product designs while also placing a strong focus on digitalisation. As a result, Voith is bringing newfound innovation to the market that meets the demand for today’s smart industrial systems. The steel industry is keeping us very busy in our traditional business as well as developing innovations that meet future demands. With a heightened focus on reliability and a growing appetite for operational data, we are working closely with several operators to provide new technologies; including our FlexPad rollend-hub and our OnCare.Health ACIDA torque monitoring system. Combining these technologies with SafeSet torquelimiting couplings and universal joint shafts to supply complete systems is a growing trend, and we are happy to be a part of the shift to driveline package supplier from component supplier. This really allows us to design and provide the optimal driveline for each application. 2. What is your view on the current state of the global steel industry? The steel industry is in unchartered territory at the moment. The public focus on trade has been an impetus for change. I’d say the net result is good for steel in general. Today, steel has become a focal point of the world, and everyone has gained a

heightened awareness of how important the steel industry is to national and global economies. To serve an increasing world population, we need steel for infrastructure; and it remains a leading industrial product to the world.

fans, pumps, edgers, straighteners, levellers, roller tables and shredders. 4. Where in the world are you busiest at present? Although we can’t release competitively sensitive information about specific parts of the world where we are seeing the most business opportunities, what I can tell you is that our worldwide project activity is strong. June and July 2019 have been great months for our business. Specifically speaking of universal joint shafts, we will meet or maybe even exceed our plans for the current fiscal year. 5. Can you discuss any major steel contracts you are currently working on? Due to the confidential nature of major steel contracts we cannot discuss them in detail, but major steel contracts are a large part of our current workload.

3. In which sector of the steel industry does VOITH mostly conduct its business? Our specialty is rotating equipment, so any application that requires torque transmission represents potential business for Voith. Historically, Voith has seen a lot of interest in its drivelines for rolling mills. Due to the robust designs that come out of our factories in Europe, our products and systems have excelled in transmitting maximum torque despite dimensional constraints, monitoring torque levels acting on drive components, and protecting drivelines against catastrophic failures resulting from torque transients and fatigue. Besides rolling mill main drives, we also provide the steel industry with a variety of driveline products for conveyors,

6. Where does Voith stand on the aluminium versus steel argument? Voith takes a neutral stance on the steel versus aluminium conversation, and we supply to both industries. Furthermore, the way we see it, the two materials are not necessarily competitors. In many applications, steel and aluminium have defined their own niche. In the grand scheme of things, some buzz around the aluminium-versus-steel conversation is good for both industries. The race to develop new steel and aluminium products has propelled the metals industry, as a whole, to new levels of innovation. This ensures the metals industry stays relevant in both sectors, and it is enabling downstream industries to take advantage of material composition and quality improvements, which allow them to realise their own design evolution. All stakeholders, even the consumer, benefit.

* Vice president of new business sales, Voith Turbo North America September 2019

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PERSPECTIVES: VOITH

7. What are your views on Industry 4.0 and steelmaking? Industry 4.0 is already a contributor to many improvements in the steel industry. Specific to the systems in steelmaking, our OnCare.Health ACIDA torque measuring system is an existing technology relied on for years already. It is designed to provide steel mills very precise torque measurement of drivelines. This data has helped Voith to design and provide optimal components for countless steel makers’ mill drivelines. These kinds of projects give you some early insights into the broader way of how Industry 4.0 will help our customers achieve greater quality, efficiencies, and optimised performance through both historical and real time data. 8. In your dealings with steel producers, are you ﬁnding that they are looking to companies like VOITH to offer them solutions in terms of energy efﬁciency and sustainability? If so, what can you offer them? Steel producers are definitely looking to improve efficiency and secure stability for the future of their business. Voith has a variety of products that address these concerns directly. One example is a new roll-end-hub design under the product name, FlexPad. FlexPad solves a variety of operational problems compared to conventional designs. It improves reliability and availability of rolling mills, reduces unplanned downtime, and decreases the total cost of ownership. FlexPad has been successfully installed at several mills around the world since its release in 2016. We also have products in the works that gather and leverage performance data over a number of cases and over time. This information provides useful insights that provide synergies for the industry and supply chain as a whole.

information on vibration, temperature, acoustics and many other potential data sources. 10. How do you view VOITH’s development over the short-tomedium term in relation to the global steel industry? I see real, positive developments for Voith in the short-to-medium term. We want to be close to the customer, to know their pain points, and to develop solutions that add value to our customers’ businesses. This has always been a key part of our mission. At Voith, we partner with the steel maker to provide optimal drive solutions. In the very near future, I see the steel industry taking advantage of the new products Voith is bringing to the market, like FlexPad for example. FlexPad alone has already gotten the attention of several large steel makers. 11. What is VOITH’s experience of the Chinese steel industry? Voith has been present in the Chinese steel industry for at least 12 years, providing our conventional product portfolio to the steel industry there. We have personnel and facilities in China to support this market. Currently, we are continuing to develop our service facility in Beijing where we have the capabilities to stock components, service large universal joint shafts and other products, and we have trained technical sales and service personnel on staff in China. Overall our experience in China has been positive. In the early days, we developed quickly and now the Chinese steel industry is gaining self-sufficiency, gravitating towards local sources instead of importing goods and technology to support their steel industry. China’s growing self-sufficiency presents new challenges to maintain our position. We are up to the challenge, though, and are proud to be a part of the continuing evolution of the Chinese steel industry.

12. How optimistic are you for the global steel industry going forward and what challenges face global producers in the short-to-medium term? The outlook is positive as a whole. The global demand for raw materials (plate, beam, etc.) will continue to grow as worldwide infrastructure develops to meet the demands of population growth. Looking forward, all steel producers will need to improve their efficiency, reduce unplanned downtime and decrease operational costs to stay competitive. 13. What exhibitions and conferences will VOITH be attending next year? We plan to exhibit at Metal + Metallurgy in March 2020 held in Shanghai China, ISRI in April 2020 held in Las Vegas Nevada, and AISTech in May 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. 14. Apart from strong coffee, what keeps you awake at night? I work so hard that I rarely have a difficult time sleeping. I believe in working hard and also enjoy time to recharge my batteries. If I am tired, I am not much good to anyone. But from the steel industry perspective, we keep a watchful eye on the global steel market and any slowing of growth in it. That kind of activity brings questions about how steel producers and their home countries will respond when demand shrinks to the point that it threatens their businesses and economies. 15. If you possessed a superpower, how would you use it to improve the global steel industry? I would make Voith FlexPad instantly appear in every steel mill in the world. Every steel producer can realise the benefit this product can bring to their operations. �

9. Where does VOITH lead the ﬁeld in terms of steel production technology? Voith takes great pride in being a technology leader with several products for steel mills. These include universal joint shafts, SafeSet torque limiting couplings, FlexPad roll end hubs, high-performance bearing grease WearCare5000, highly ﬂexible couplings for torsional damping, and digital products such as condition monitoring, which collects operational www.steeltimesint.com

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HISTORY

US Steel – a billion dollar idea United States Steel Corporation was incorporated on 25 February 1901. US Steel was the largest steel producer in America and the world’s first billion-dollar corporation. This is a history of the formation of a steel giant. By LeAnne Zolovich* THE creation of US Steel stemmed from various changes in America in the late 19th century. In 1867, the United States produced just 22kt of steel. After the implantation of the Bessemer and openhearth processes, the country became the world’s largest steel producer in 1889. By 1900, production exceeded more than 11Mt of steel. Large-scale production was introduced in the United States and industries sought more efficient means of production through integrated operations. Three men changed the face of the American steel industry: Elbert H. Gary, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles Schwab. Carnegie was one of the wealthiest steel men in America. Schwab had become president of the Carnegie Steel Company and he believed that the economical production of steel on a large scale called for the entire chain of operations under one management. Gary also believed in integration and oversaw the formation of the Federal Steel Company. Wanting to retire, Carnegie looked to sell his steel holdings. In 1900, he sent his Carnegie Steel Company president, Charles Schwab, to meet with Elbert Gary

of the Federal Steel Company and propose that he buy Carnegie’s properties. Gary approached John P. Morgan, a financial mastermind, for funding. Only after Gary spoke of the need for consolidation and specialisation did Morgan agree to meet with Schwab. Morgan said he would buy if Carnegie wanted to sell. After some hesitation, Carnegie agreed to sell his holdings. Morgan accepted the terms and directed Gary to draw up a plan of organisation, which was put into execution. Under Gary’s direction, the United States Steel Corporation was formed. The merger of Carnegie Steel; Federal Steel; American Steel & Wire; National Tube; National Steel; American Tin Plate; American Steel Hoop; and American Sheet Steel Companies formed the largest steel company in America. At its formation, US Steel produced approximately one-third of the steel in America. Charles Schwab was the corporation’s first president, but resigned in 1903 to form Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Elbert Gary was chairman of the board of directors until his death in 1927. US Steel’s early success is often credited to Gary, who established

highly ethical principles and policies, sustained trade and fostered competition, and instituted employee welfare and safety programmes. From 1914 to 1918, US Steel produced 99.7Mt tons of steel. In between wars, US Steel spent $6 billion on enlarging and improving its facilities. In 1939, on the eve of World War II, the United States steel capacity was more than the Axis and Allies’ capacities combined. From January 1940 to 15 August 1945, the United States produced 467.3Mt tons of steel of which US Steel made 161Mt. The corporation helped build many ships for the US Navy and was instrumental in the production of steel helmets. US Steel then set a post-war record for profitability in 1955. Unfortunately, the decades after witnessed a decline for the corporation’s profitability and market share. In the 1970s, rising costs and foreign competition hit the entire American steel industry hard. US Steel was forced to diversify in the 1980s with the purchase of oil companies and changed its name in 1986 to USX Corporation. Even though USX decreased its steelmaking capacity, US Steel (USX’s steel division) was one of the most efficient producers in the world. After cutting capacity, closing plants, and laying off employees in the early 1990s, the company was the lowest-cost, fully integrated steel producer in the US. In 2002, US Steel reclaimed its identity as an integrated steel manufacturer. Today, the corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, remains an integrated steel producer with operations in North America and central Europe. In 2018, United States Steel Corporation was the second largest steel producer in the US and the 26th largest in the world. The company is a leader in both the American and global steel industries today. � *Educational services manager, National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum. www.steelmuseum.org www.steeltimesint.com

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â&#x20AC;&#x201D; StressometerÂŽ Systems Extended actuator teamwork

The long standing problem with flatness control in multi actuator mills is now solved by ABB. To optimally make all mill actuators work together as a team is a complex task. Different actuator combinations will in these mills give the same flatness effect. The problem is to select the one actuator combination with the minimum actuator movement. The ABB patented method of Extended Singular Value Decomposition (ESVD) will optimally make this selection and make your actuators work together as a genuine team. Stressometer Systems. abb.com/stressometer

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