Rolls Technology Committee

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met on 20–21 September 2011 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. To begin the meeting, Bob Bennett of Nucor Corp. welcomed everyone and asked all the attendees to introduce themselves. Dave Trikones of ArcelorMittal Weirton volunteered to take the meeting minutes. The meeting minutes from the 3 May 2011 RTC meeting at AISTech were reviewed and approved as written. Jerry Bunnell of ArcelorMittal Cleveland reviewed their roll shop safety activities, which led into an open discussion. Professors Isaac Garcia and Anthony DeArdo gave a tour of the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. The professors then gave three technical presentations. “Ferrous Physical Metallurgy Program at the University of Pittsburgh” described the opportunities for young metallurgists and internships at the university and included two students’ perspectives of the program and their passion for metallurgy, as well as their internship experiences at Nucor and Lockheed Martin. “Current Status and Future Challenges” told how advanced high-strength steels will challenge North American roll manufacturers. “FEM Analysis in Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Materials” highlighted the phase identification of metals based on electron backscatter diffraction – image quality multiphase analysis. Mr. Bennett presented a plaque to professors Garcia and DeArdo and the university for hosting the RTC meeting. Kalyan Khan from the United States Steel Corporation led the selection of abstracts for AISTech 2012. Collectively, the committee chose enough abstracts to have three sessions, and session chairs were also identified. Hard copies of the nominated papers for the RTC AISTech 2011 Best of Session Paper Award were passed out for evaluation. The next RTC meeting is scheduled for 17–18 January 2012 at California Steel Industries, with a meeting focus on roll shop environmental issues.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met on 3 May 2011 at AISTech in Indianapolis, Ind. John Ballani of BRC International welcomed everyone to the meeting and had them introduce themselves. Dave Trikones of ArcelorMittal Weirton volunteered to take the meeting minutes. Ballani reviewed the AIST Antitrust Guidelines and everyone agreed to abide by them. There was a review of the previous meeting minutes, and they were approved as written. The committee elected their officers for the 2011–2012 term: Bob Bennett of Nucor Steel – Indiana, chair; Ray Schleiden, vice chair; and Kalyan Khan of U. S. Steel, papers chair. The committee mission statement was reviewed and approved without changes to read: “The Rolls Technology Committee will aspire to improve the understanding of all aspects of rolls, including roll usage, roll metallurgy, roll manufacturing, roll shop operations and safety, and roll preparation and roll inspection. The committee will achieve these goals by organizing seminars, symposiums and tours, creating literature and providing a forum for discussion and networking.” The 2011 Rolls Technology Award for Best Paper was awarded to Yuli Liu, Jian Fan and Mike Levick of Quad Engineering Inc., for their paper entitled, “Mechanical Study for Reducing Shell/Core Bond Separation of Duplex Cast Work Rolls for a Hot Strip Mill.” Yuli Liu was present to accept the award. Bob Bennett presented the outgoing chair plaque to John Ballani for his outstanding service to the committee as chair this past year. The fall 2011 meeting is scheduled for 20–21 September 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pa., which will include a tour of the University of Pittsburgh.

The HSRTC, the MRTC and the Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) held a three-in-one-joint meeting on 26 Jan in Mobile, Ala., with a total attendance of 115. The joint meeting started with a safety presentation by Bernie Quinn of AM Health and Safety Inc. Jay Ondrovic of Nucor Steel then gave a presentation on the operator’s role in reliability. John Ballani and Tom Weiler led a discussion on Technology Committee best practices. The Reliability Achievement Awards were presented. The Gold Award was presented to Jeffrey Kroner of USS POSCO Industries for their implementation of a combustion reliability program within the framework of an established reliability-based improvement model, the Silver Award was presented to Scott Piech of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor for the implementation of the WCER (World-Class Equipment Reliability Program) on the finishing stands of the hot strip mill, and the Bronze Award was presented to Tim Kuzmicky of USS POSCO Industries for their implementation of a spares consolidation process and facility modifications. Francesco Auteri of Pomini presented the new Pomini roll shop at the ThyssenKrupp Steel hot strip mill. Scott Posey of ThyssenKrupp presented an overview of their new facility. On Wednesday, 26 Jan 2011, all three committees toured the newest ThyssenKrupp facility.

The RTC held a separate meeting Thursday, 27 Jan 2011 following the three-in-one joint committee meeting. As one of the committees that took the lead in organizing the three-in-one meeting, they began with a discussion on the value of this combined meeting and tour. The general consensus was that it worked well and gave the opportunity for networking, learning what practices are working for other committees and sharing what has worked within their own committee. This was followed by a discussion on the RTC sessions for AISTech 2011, including an update on their joint session, identifying session chairs and expectations for these chairs, and finalizing their panel discussion. They then reviewed the topics for their Call for Papers for AISTech 2012 and decided to leave them as is since they still serve their purpose. This was followed by a technical presentation on “Differences Between Sealed and Non-Sealed Bearings” by Walt Kusnier and a presentation on “Environmentally Friendly Ways to Dispose of Grinder Sludge” by Joe Porter. Following the presentations, attendees held a general discussion on future RTC activities before adjourning.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met Sept. 22–23 in Merrillville, Ind. Bob Bennett welcomed everyone to the meeting and initiated discussion on committee membership. Tony Payling reported that he will review the geographic distribution of the committee and develop a plan for increasing participation. The meeting discussion began with a roundtable safety discussion, where members shared information on accidents, best practices and an initiative to provide a training site for newer roll shop managers. During this discussion, information was shared on the development of a hazard recognition program and a card that is given to employees to assist in this program. There was also discussion on best methods for handling spalled rolls and ways to prevent injuries from their handling. Homero Ortiz then provided an overview of the ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor plate mill, which the members would tour the following day. The committee then developed their sessions for AISTech 2011, identified session topics and chairs, and planned for a roundtable discussion on roll safety.

On Tuesday, May 4, the Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) held a meeting at AISTech in Pittsburgh, Pa. The meeting began with discussion of their mission statement, which they agreed was still appropriate as written. Having programmed several joint sessions this year, the RTC thought this had a positive impact on the quality and attendance at their sessions. After they held the election of RTC officers for the coming year, they reviewed their procedure for identifying the paper for their Best Paper Award. They also planned to set up a meeting with the Safety & Health Technology Committee to establish a method for reporting corrective actions on safety issues. Tentative plans were made for a fall meeting. Before closing the meeting, John Ballani presented the outgoing chair, Jerry Bunnell, with a plaque of appreciation for his service to the committee.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met on Jan. 27–28 in Golden, Colo., at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. David Matlock and Dr. John Speer welcomed everyone and provided an overview of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center (ASPPRC). The committee’s first order of business was to finalize their sessions for AISTech 2010. They continued some work on a joint session they are planning with the Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committee that will conclude with a panel discussion focusing on the future of hexavalent chromium and the impact on the industry if its use for plating rolls becomes restricted or eliminated. The RTC also reviewed the status of a joint session they will offer with the Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee. Their plan is to conclude their paper sessions with another panel discussion on roll inspection systems. They then identified topics to focus on for the AISTech 2011 Call for Abstracts. The RTC continues to explore the possibility of developing a Specialty Training Conference, possibly one that would relate to roll shop safety. This led into a discussion on safety, and the RTC made a plan for the committee leadership to meet with representatives from the Safety & Health Technology Committee to develop a means to communicate corrective actions. After these discussions, technical presentations were made to the committee, with time for a question-and-answer period. These presentations included Dr. Emmanuel DeMoor on “Trends in the Development of New High-Strength Steel Grades for Automotive Applications,” Alexander Hudgins on “Shear Failures in Bending of Advanced High-Strength Steels,” Grant Thomas on “Quenched and Partitioned (Q&P) Steels Produced via Direct Hot Rolling,” Nika Muckelroy on “Microstructure and Mechanical Properties Comparison of Direct Quenched Versus Conventional Quenched and Tempered Plate,” and Myra Dyer on “A Study of Microalloy Precipitation in Hot Charged Slabs.” The next day included a tour of Golden Aluminum, where attendees saw aluminum being processed from scrap through the final product. There was plenty of time in the roll shop to discuss the company’s roll practices and experiences.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met at Nucor Steel–Indiana in Crawfordsville, Ind., on Oct. 13–14. Committee chair Jerry Bunnell of ArcelorMittal welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for attending. He then led the group in a round table discussion on safety, particularly as it pertained to roll shops. The RTC then toured Nucor’s Castrip facility and had the opportunity to observe the process in operation and talk to the crew. After the tour, Mark Schlichting of Nucor Indiana gave a presentation on the Castrip process. A discussion followed on getting additional members on the committee. The RTC then toured the hot mill and the roll shop. After this tour, they started planning their sessions for AISTech 2010. They reviewed available abstracts and developed several session topics. From here, they identified additional papers they could bring to the topic and also tie in with a couple of panel discussions. The RTC planned one whole day of sessions based on discussion on the future use of chromium from chrome plating rolls, and decided to pursue a joint session with the Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committee. After their sessions were planned, the RTC discussed the possibility of developing a Specialty Training Conference focusing on roll shop safety and decided to continue this discussion at their next meeting. Mr. Bunnell presented a plaque of appreciation to Bob Bennett for arranging and hosting the meeting and tours.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met on May 5 in conjunction with AISTech 2009 in St. Louis, Mo. They began the meeting with the election of officers for the upcoming year, and elected Jerry Bunnell as chair, John Ballani as vice chair and Kalyan Khan as papers chair. This was followed by a review of the RTC mission statement, which will remain as is. The RTC then held a review of their AISTech sessions to date, and the general consensus was that the papers and discussions were very good. The committee has an award for best paper, and they reviewed the criteria and selection process for the award. They also discussed committee membership and methods to attract new members and increase committee participation. They then discussed plans for their meeting in September, including topics for technical presentations and their preferred tour facility.

The Rolls Technology Committee (RTC) met Jan. 13 in Florence, Ind. Tony Payling welcomed everyone to the meeting. Discussion was held on committee membership and contacts that were being made to encourage participation. The RTC then worked on finalizing their sessions for AISTech 2009. Continuing their focus on safety, they finalized their session on “Roll Shop Safety” and decided to make their third session a panel discussion on “Safety Issues in the Roll Shop,” covering all areas from materials and equipment through handling and processing. Additional session chairs were identified, and the chairs’ responsibilities were discussed, including personal contacts with the presenters prior to the conference. For the AISTech 2010 Call for Papers, the RTC decided to solicit papers on additional types of rolls, including pinch rolls. This discussion was followed with a technical presentation from Eric Almquist on “Roll Grinding Using Abrasive Belts.” Although the committee had been discussing a meeting in Europe, it was decided to wait until 2010 to plan. The next two RTC meetings will be at AISTech 2009 in St. Louis and at Nucor Steel–Indiana. Bobby Heinz and Jay Richter of Gallatin Steel then explained the logistics and route for the tour of Gallatin that day. The RTC toured the caster, tunnel furnaces, roll shop and the hot mill.