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Call for Papers Topics

Call for Papers, Extended Abstracts and Presentation Only Submission
The AISTech technical program promotes the transfer of iron and steel technology by providing an international forum for authors to share ideas, experiences and knowledge of the industry. We invite you to submit your abstracts for consideration. Sessions currently being developed focus on the following topics:

SAFETY AND HEALTH - back to top
Contractor safety (drug testing, auditing, fall protection, hearing conservation, respiratory protection), railroad safety, NFPA 70E, confined space, lockout/isolation and best practices.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY - back to top
Environmental issues (water, air, solid waste) as they relate to the steel industry. We intend to have a feature session on climate change including: greenhouse gases, carbon inventory and control. Other topics could include new technologies for: sustainability, recycling, reuse, water and waste minimization, water systems and storm water pollution prevention. Regulatory issues including: PM-2.5 and mercury issues; ELGs; NSPS for EAFs; life cycle assessment; CAM rules; RCRA corrective action or multimedia audits, MACT for iron and steel, NOx and SOx, fugitive emissions, TMDL program, noise and odor control or contaminated sites cleanup.

COKEMAKING - back to top
Coal supply sourcing and blending; process improvements; energy optimization; coke quality enhancements; operating cost reductions; new coke production facilities and the refurbishment of existing facilities; refractory materials and installation advancements; repair/maintenance techniques and technology for extending the life of coke oven batteries and ensuring their manufacturing reliability; byproduct efficiency improvements; environmental process improvements; new sulfur removal facilities or reliability improvement projects; wastewater treatment projects; and emissions reduction projects.

IRONMAKING - back to top
Blast furnace operations; extended campaign programs; environmental programs in ironmaking; maintenance programs for ensuring manufacturing reliability; hearth and taphole monitoring and maintenance; blast furnace stoves, stove refractory and safe stove operation; ironmaking raw materials; alternate ironmaking; blast furnace refractory; and cooling system maintenance. Sessions are also being organized for blast furnace relines and repairs, including blowdowns, banking, blow-ins, and start-up procedures.

ELECTRIC STEELMAKING - back to top
Implementation of innovative safety programs and procedures; advances in energy efficiency, materials recovery and heat recovery and their associated impact on greenhouse gas generation; advancements in workplace environmental factors, including gas cleaning and mitigation of greenhouse gas generation; process analysis and optimization including new EAF technologies and advances in auxiliary systems such as arc regulation, oxygen and solids injection, and water-cooled components; EAF revamping projects and start-up experience with new equipment; raw materials including scrap optimization, selection of alternative iron feed materials and yield maximization; associate development and training; EAF mechanical, hydraulic and electrical maintenance including primary, secondary and tertiary electrical components.

OXYGEN STEELMAKING - back to top
BOF environmental controls, vessel slopping, secondary emissions, tapping practices and yield improvement, endpoint predictions, charge management, blast furnace/BOF strategies and coordination, plant culture, maintenance practices, and planning and energy conservation.

SPECIALTY ALLOY AND FOUNDRY - back to top
Foundry operations, especially: melting, refractory, environmental and safety; stainless steel and special alloy (e.g., ferroalloy, nickel-base, cobalt-base, superalloy) production, especially: raw materials, melting, refining, casting, finishing, environmental and safety.

LADLE AND SECONDARY REFINING - back to top
The processes of heating/cooling, chemistry control, slag treatment, desulfurization/decarburization, degassing, stirring, shape control and inclusion modification; utilizing the support systems of ladles; refractories and refractory repair; ladle transport; flow control; stirring systems; utilities; and fume control.

CONTINUOUS CASTING - back to top
Thin and thick slab, bloom, beam blank, billet and near-net-shape casting machines; caster modeling; new and emerging innovations and technology in continuous casting; improvements and/or renovations in machine design to optimize operations relating to: safety, quality, productivity, reliability, energy, maintenance and the environment.

HOT SHEET ROLLING - back to top
Hot sheet rolling mills and facilities: new, revamps or modernizations, including: ferrous-based (carbon, silicon, titanium or stainless steel) flat rolling and/or processing with new or revised technologies in width, thickness, shape, flatness, surface, temperature, productivity, yield and quality control. Other topics of interest include (but are not limited to) equipment design improvements; roll coolant and roll bite lubrication; processing new steel chemistries (TRIP, TWIP and dual-phase steels); steering and camber control; slab sizing and width control; descaling and surface improvement systems; productivity improvement and start-up learning curve programs; sensors and gauge systems specifically relating to hot rolling; and furnace issues relating to the rolling process.

COLD SHEET ROLLING - back to top
Sheet and tin cold rolling, temper/skinpass rolling, pickling, cleaning and annealing facilities: new, revamps or modernizations. Process modeling and equipment reliability studies. New or revised technologies for enhancing safety, cost, quality, productivity and yield of ferrous-based materials. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): width, thickness, shape, flatness, edge drop, surface, temperatures, properties, steering and processing of new and/or special steel chemistries.

GALVANIZING - back to top
Hot-dip galvanize, galvanneal, aluminized, new zinc alloy coating, and dual metallic/organic processes (new facilities and modernizations, productivity improvements, new equipment technologies), plus coated product substrate quality, defect prevention and detection, and new surface post-treatments.

TINPLATE AND ELECTROGALVANIZING - back to top
Advancements applicable to the tin mill area and electrogalvanizing process. Topics of particular interest include: electroplating zinc and zinc alloys, tin, and chrome; practices of cold rolling, continuous annealing, batch annealing, double cold reduction, temper rolling, surface inspection, plating and surface passivation, bearing sealing, and conductor rolls and process rolls; waste treatment energy, conservation and other environmental issues.

PLATE ROLLING - back to top
New plate rolling and finishing installations; discrete Steckel processing; mill modernization, new equipment and technologies; automation upgrades; model developments in rolling and finishing; thickness, width and crown control; flatness control, measurement and correction; surface quality and inspection; scale removal; operational practices of reheat furnaces; and thermal mechanical rolling developments, including accelerated cooling.

ROD AND BAR ROLLING - back to top
New equipment and technologies; new installations and revamp of existing facilities; process and auxiliary equipment including gauging systems, shearing and handling equipment, guide systems and control systems, process and product development; defect inspection and product quality.

ROLLS - back to top
Innovative roll manufacturing and roll testing, roll maintenance and inspection practices, roll use in the ferrous and nonferrous industries including pinch rolls, roll performance improvements, the relationship between rolls and product attributes (profile, flatness, surface, etc.), and roll surface defects and their effect on sheet quality.

METALLURGY — STEELMAKING AND CASTING - back to top
Use of any system, approach, methodology or equipment to improve product quality, production and/or costs.

METALLURGY — PROCESSING, PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS - back to top
The interrelation of production processes and product properties (dimensional and metallurgical) including liquid and solid steel processing, and products ranging from sheet and plate to tubular and long products, as well as finished components. Papers are also being sought for process metallurgy and product application of low-strength steels (LSS), high-strength steels (HSS) and advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) with focus on the fundamental aspects from microstructure features to mechanical properties. In addition, development of new process technologies and products is encouraged. Papers on process/ product quality problems and control are also welcome.

ENERGY AND UTILITIES - back to top
New developments and applications that promote increased productivity and energy efficiency in the generation, distribution or use of purchased fuels and combustion; byproduct gases; steam; industrial gases, compressed air, hydrogen, oxygen, etc.; electricity; lighting; heat recovery systems; boilers/furnaces; power plant; and water systems.

ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS - back to top
Design, application and/or engineering of power quality and distribution; AC/DC motor/drive technology; HMI systems; open architectural systems and other networks; electrical maintenance and electrical safety applications; and electrical upgrades/retrofits. Application of sensors for process control; efficiency and cost-effective solutions; on-line and off-line shape and flatness measurement; mechanical properties testing; automated surface inspection; oil thickness measurement; surface cleanliness; soft sensors (i.e., modeling of a variable that cannot be measured directly); and other unique sensors that provide new and innovative uses to the primary and finishing sides of the steelmaking process.

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS - back to top
New and existing uses of computers to control, monitor and interface steelmaking processes; impact of human factors in process control (such as users, engineers and support personnel); manufacturing execution systems; network/ wireless communications; the application of advanced process modeling and control; emerging trends in hardware and software related to process control as well as business systems, including operating systems, software products, security and open source code; automation planning and software development methodologies; database, data warehousing and data mining systems.

PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT - back to top
Capital effectiveness; project safety performance; project management approaches for new installations, retrofits and maintenance projects; project team alignment/team building; new technologies to aid the project team; and pre-project planning and risk assessment.

MAINTENANCE PROCESSES - back to top
Reliability, planning and scheduling with maintenance activities; leadership, human resource development and training; contractual support; maintenance outsourcing; maintenance improvement initiatives; CMMS; predictive and preventive maintenance technologies or condition monitoring.

LUBRICATION AND HYDRAULICS - back to top
Bearing technology; lubrication systems; lubricant technology (greases, oils, solid lubricants); hydraulic fluids and systems; fluid filtration and filter media; oil reclamation and refining; condition monitoring; plant lubrication programs; lubricant life and testing methods; sealing technology; gearing technology; electric motors lubrication; coupling lubrication and auto lube technology.

MATERIAL HANDLING - back to top
Product tracking and identification; fleet management strategies; new material handling equipment; equipment/vehicle maintenance strategies; scrap handling; government regulations impacting material handling; communication technologies; infrastructure maintenance of roads, tracks, bridges, etc.; or outsourcing of services.

CRANES - back to top
Case studies detailing specific experiences with reducing costs; maintenance statistical data; new technology, installations, and product applications resulting in improved safety and productivity gains; better lubrication systems; latest global crane standards for overhead traveling cranes; and crane machinery replacements, modifications or improvements.

PACKAGING, SHIPPING AND TRANSPORTATION METHODS - back to top
Safety procedures and innovations in packaging, shipping and transportation methods in all modes of transportation, including but not limited to infrastructure, ASTM standards, motor carriers, waterways, loading and packaging, open top loading rules, transloading, and governmental regulations.

The preferred method of submission is online at: www.aisech.org

Abstracts may also be submitted by mail to:
AIST
186 Thorn Hill Road
Warrendale, PA 15086

or by e-mail to:
abstracts@aist.org