Past AIST Committee Activities
Current Activities
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met May 3 in Pittsburgh, Pa., in conjunction with AISTech 2010. The meeting began with a review of the morning HSRTC session. This was followed by a review of their mission statement, and it was decided to add “hot” to the statement so it would read, “...promote safety and advancement in hot sheet and strip rolling technologies and operating practices through information exchange and training.” An update on the status of benchmarking for the committee was discussed, followed by a discussion on completing the Hot Sheet Mill Roundup, to be published in Iron & Steel Technology. A review of the Hot Rolling Training Seminar was undertaken, with plans to offer this training again in 2012. Before adjourning, the HSRTC discussed options for their next meeting and elected officers for the coming year. To conclude the meeting, Tom Weiler presented a plaque of appreciation to outgoing chair Eric Thokar.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met April 7–8 in Birmingham, Ala. The meeting began with a safety discussion. This was followed by presentations from Tom Weiler of Nucor Steel–Indiana, Don Merchant of California Steel and Qiulin Yu of Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa on reliability and production issues. They also reviewed the status of several projects in their plants. The HSRTC papers chair, Jim Murphy, then gave an update on the status of the committee’s sessions for AISTech 2010. There was also a brief review of the 2010 AIST Hot Rolling Training Seminar and discussion on incorporating a separate half-day track for plate rolling when this course is offered again in 2012. The HSRTC members then toured the United States Steel Fairfield Plant hot mill, including the reheat furnaces, reversing roughing mill, finishing mill, and downcoilers. Those on the tour had the opportunity to discuss issues with the crews and supervisors. The next day began with Eugene Nikitenko of U. S. Steel giving a presentation on head-end gauge performance on hot bands and how one of the main contributors to this problem has been shown to be temperature prediction error. This was followed by an update from Eric Thokar of Danieli Corp. on the latest design for powerful downcoilers. Before the meeting came to a close, the subject again arose of incorporating a half-day session in the 2010 Hot Rolling Fundamentals Specialty Training Conference, which would focus on topics specific to attendees involved with plate. This will be reviewed with the Plate Rolling Technology Committee and then brought to their Training Subcommittee.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met on Feb. 22 in conjunction with the Hot Rolling Fundamentals Specialty Training Conference in Orlando, Fla. Since many committee members participate in the conference, this meeting is usually held to cover items related to the conference. The discussion after the first day of the conference indicated that everyone seemed pleased with the quality of the presentations. The HSRTC then reviewed the chairs for the remainder of the course. This was followed by a review of the status of their sessions for AISTech 2010 in Pittsburgh, and all their sessions were completed. They also discussed their next offering of the Hot Rolling Fundamentals seminar and planned to meet with the Plate Rolling Technology Committee to incorporate a plate session into the training. The HSRTC is also working on a Hot Mill Roundup, and they reviewed its status and the steps necessary to complete it for the magazine. Finally, the HSRTC identified topics they would like to focus on for AISTech 2011, and prepared them for the Call for Abstracts.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met Sept. 30–Oct. 1 in Ghent, Ky. Committee chair Eric Thokar of Danieli opened the meeting and reviewed the technical theme for the meeting, which was roll coolant and lubrication. The meeting began with a safety presentation and discussion by Butch Collins of Gallatin Steel and included guests from SSAB. Presentations were then provided by Tom Weiler of Nucor Steel, Dave Reilly of California Steel, Mike Claar of Steel Dynamics and John Vollmer of Gallatin Steel on plant safety performance and practices, hot mill reliability issues, and roll coolant and lubrication. Jim Murphy of Quaker then reviewed the plan for the committee’s technical sessions for AISTech 2010 and developed two hot rolling sessions. The HSRTC will pursue a joint session with the Computer Applications Technology Committee. Mr. Murphy also secured volunteers to chair these sessions. A brief discussion on the AIST Leadership Development Conference followed, and the committee was informed that they are well represented, with three officers planning to attend. A tour of the Gallatin Steel hot mill was conducted in the afternoon. A plaque of appreciation was presented to John Vollmer for arranging the tour and hosting the meeting. Daron Lloyd and Ned Mansour of Lechler joined the meeting and provided a technical presentation on optimizing cooling system performance. This was followed by a technical presentation and discussion on hot mill roll lubrication best practices by Mr. Murphy. The program and status of the upcoming Hot Flat Rolling Training Seminar was reviewed, with some minor adjustments recommended. The committee is also completing a hot strip mill roundup for North American hot mills, and this was reviewed, with the steps necessary to finalize it identified.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met at AISTech 2009 on May 6. The meeting began with a review of the HSRTC sessions that had already been held and final preparations for their upcoming sessions at the conference. This was followed by the election of officers for the upcoming year, whereby Eric Thokar was elected as chair, Tom Weiler as vice chair and Jim Murphy as papers chair. A review of the committee’s mission statement found the statement to still represent the activities and mission of the HSRTC, so no changes were made. Mr. Thokar gave an update on the task he is leading to complete a Hot Mill Roundup to be published in Iron & Steel Technology. Following this, there was discussion regarding the upcoming Specialty Training Conference, “Hot Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar.” Members who also belong to the Plate Rolling Technology Committee also attended this meeting, as they wanted to discuss the possibility of including more plate rolling topics in the training seminar. After the discussion and in light of the timing, it was decided that, for now, the conference will remain as is, but could be open for future consideration. After some discussion on attendance at the two locations where this conference has been held, it was decided to offer the training seminar in February 2010 in Orlando, Fla. The HSRTC then reviewed potential meeting sites and dates for the fall of 2009. Jim Murphy, as papers chair, agreed to arrange technical presentations on lubrication for the upcoming meeting.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met in Ypsilanti, Mich., on March 30 in conjunction with their Hot Flat Sheet Rolling Specialty Training Conference. The meeting was held at the conclusion of the first day of the seminar, so the meeting began with a review of the day’s presentations. The overall consensus was that it was a good start to the program, and there appeared to be a lot of interaction with the attendees. They then discussed their plans to renew an alternating-year rotation with the Cold Rolling Training Seminar. It was agreed to offer the Hot Flat Sheet Rolling seminar again in 2010 to return to the schedule. They agreed that it would be held in either Ypsilanti or Orlando, Fla., based on availability and other considerations. The HSRTC then reviewed the status of their technical sessions for AISTech 2009 and solicited two more papers from committee members to replace ones that had been canceled. Two technical presentations were identified to be made at one of the next HSRTC meetings. This was followed by some discussion on the benchmarking database and plans to complete the hot mill round-up to be published in Iron & Steel Technology.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met in Auburn, Ind., on Oct. 15–17. Doug Finkbeiner welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Bob Bly for his efforts in making the meeting and tour arrangements. The next morning, the committee met at the Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) plant, where Glenn Pushis welcomed the group and provided a brief history and overview of the plant. John Rolison then gave an overview of SDI’s safety program and their participation in the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program, for which they were awarded Merit Status. In their previous meeting, the HSRTC had decided this meeting would focus on finish mill stack mechanical maintenance, and the committee members came prepared to discuss items that affect this. Each presentation began with discussions on safety items. The committee then toured the SDI Butler facility, where they had the opportunity to see the caster, hot mill, pickler, cold mills and the paint line. SDI hosted a reception and dinner at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Museum. Dick Teets, executive vice president and president and COO of steel operations at SDI, addressed the group after dinner and was available for further discussion or to answer any questions. The next morning began with discussion and an update on the committee’s Hot Flat Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminar, which will be offered March 29–April 3, 2009, in Ypsilanti, Mich. Following this, an update on the HSRTC sessions for AISTech 2009 was provided, and session chairs were identified. Open discussion followed to solicit input on the current meeting format, and the general consensus was that this format provided value for the participants.
The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met June 11–13 in Burns Harbor, Ind., at the Deerfield Training Center. The meeting began with a Producer Only discussion on safety and three reliability issues affecting the members’ plants. Presentations were made on these topics by Steel Dynamics Inc., North Star BlueScope, Severstal, Nucor Steel–Indiana, California Steel and AK Steel. A representative from ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor also gave presentations on these topics, including an overview of the plant. The entire committee met for lunch, which was then followed by a tour of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, in which a general tour of the plant layout was followed by a more in-depth tour of the hot mill. During the group discussions that followed, it was decided by the HSRTC that, for the time being, all committee members would be included in all discussions and the Producer Only discussions would not be held unless some future need was determined. A discussion on the status of the AIST and AISI committee integration was also held, including a focus on ensuring that all past participants are aware of this program. A review of past participants was held, and committee members volunteered to contact their associates from specific companies to guarantee their future involvement and participation. They also brainstormed on various ideas to ensure that participation in the meetings provided value for those attending, including round table discussions, technical presentations, meeting themes and plant tours. The current committee chair, Doug Finkbeiner, thanked Dwight Simon on behalf of the committee for all his efforts in organizing this meeting. The following day, a review of the Hot Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminar was held. Since this conference sold out again this year, the HSRTC decided to offer it again in 2009. A recommendation was made to hold it in Ypsilanti, Mich., in March 2009, and some minor changes were suggested for the program. Since this was the first HSRTC meeting, methods to handle other committee activities — such as future training programs and AISTech sessions — were also implemented. The committee had been planning a visit of European hot mills but decided to postpone this meeting until 2010. Several locations were suggested for future meetings, and the next HSRTC meeting will be held Oct. 15–17 in Butler, Ind., with a tour of Steel Dynamics Inc. It was also decided this meeting will focus on finishing mill stack mechanical maintenance, including discussion on problems and possible solutions.
The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met on May 7 in Pittsburgh, Pa., at AISTech 2008. Through the integration process with the AISI committees, this committee will break into a Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) and a Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (CSRTC). The leadership of the AISI and AIST committees involved with this integration met in April to begin planning so a proposal could be made to the members at this meeting. The discussion on this plan was the lead topic for the meeting. From this meeting, a slate of officers for the new committees was proposed and approved. Doug Finkbeiner was elected as chair, Eric Thokar as vice chair and Brendan Brophy as papers chair for the HSRTC. Scott Starr was elected as chair, David Paton as vice chair, and Homero Ortiz and Brian Nelson as papers co-chairs for the CSRTC. Members of the predecessor SROC could select one of these new committees or could participate in both. The mission statement for the new committees was then reviewed and approved as: “Promote safety and advancement in sheet and strip rolling technologies and operating practices through information exchange and training,” but the two committees will review it at the individual meetings. The HSRTC discussed plans for a June meeting, which included a tour of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, and potential plans for a fall meeting in Europe. The AISI Sheet Mill Practices Manufacturing Committee had a meeting already planned for May 7 and invited anyone who had an interest. The CSRTC fall meeting date and location was still to be determined. The upcoming Specialty Training Conference, Cold Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar, was also discussed. This seminar will be sponsored by the CSRTC and will take place in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 22–26, 2009. The new committee was encouraged to continue to make this program meet the high standards that have been accomplished with the Hot Rolling Training Seminar.
The leadership of the AISI Hot Strip Mills and Sheet Mill Practices Manufacturing Committees and the AIST Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met at North Star Blue Scope Steel LLC in Delta, Ohio, on April 10. The main purpose of this meeting was for the current leadership of these committees to meet and discuss the new committee structure after the integration of the AISI committees into the AIST committees. Proposed new leadership for the new committees was discussed, and a slate of officers was recommended for the new AIST Hot Sheet Rolling and Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committees that would be put forth to the committee memberships for approval. Also to maintain continuity through this transition, the Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee planned the date and location for their next meeting. Brendan Brophy made a safety presentation and discussion followed. Also for those attending, the manuals from the Hot Rolling and Cold Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminars were reviewed.
