FeMET Initiative Awards Design Grant for 2007-2008
08/15/2007 - The American Iron and Steel Institute and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology Foundation’s FeMET Initiative award its design grant for the academic year 2007–2008 to a team of materials joining engineering students and their professor from Le Tourneau University for their proposal to study alternative welding technologies for continuous processing of steel sheet.
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Sponsored by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology Foundation, the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today (FeMET) Initiative is aimed at attracting top talent to the North American steel industry.
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A team of materials joining engineering students and their professor from Le Tourneau University, Longview, Texas, have been selected for their proposal entitled, “Numerical Modeling and Physical Simulation of Steel Coil Welding for Continuous Processing.” Their proposal was submitted in response to the 2007–2008 design theme, “Application of state-of-the-world modeling techniques to steel processes.”
The Design Grant Program challenges North American university teams (students and professors) to submit proposals for grant funding in the theme area selected by the steel industry. Proposals are to indicate how the team would approach the problem, including budget and schedule requirements. The maximum allowable time for the project is one year beginning in the fall of 2007. The number of awards granted depends on the availability of funds; the maximum grant per award will be $50,000.
“This is the third year in succession that such an award is being made,” Andrew G. Sharkey III, President and CEO of AISI, said. “The Design Grant Program, a part of FeMET, continues to focus metallurgy and materials science students and professors on important issues in the steel industry.”
“LeTourneau University will study an alternative welding technology to join coil-ends for continuous pickling and coating lines for steel sheet. In continuously fed lines for advanced high strength steels, finding improved coil-joining technologies is essential, as their lighter gauges and higher strengths make shearing and edge alignment for welding more difficult,” said Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director. “Having students deal with real-world technology challenges remains a fundamental tenet of the FeMET Design Grant,” he added.
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) was formed on Jan. 1, 2004, by the merger of the Iron & Steel Society and the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. AIST is an international technical association representing more than 13,000 iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers, and related academia. The association is dedicated to advancing the technical development, production, processing, and application of iron and steel. The AIST Foundation seeks to attract young, technology-oriented professionals to the industry by promoting the high-tech, diverse, and well-paying nature of careers in modern steelmaking. For more information about AIST, visit www.aist.org.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 31 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent approximately 75% of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more information about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org.
