Table of Contents

    • 48

    • Today’s Trucking Regulations’ Economic Impact on Industry — Electronic Logging Devices

      Newly implemented federal electronic logging device regulations will reduce daily productivity of drivers, increase freight costs and reduce the current commercial driver pool, as many drivers can no longer operate profitably. This paper will discuss what shippers should include in their logistics strategic and tactical planning; the effects it will have on other parts of the supply chain, including rail, barge, ocean, warehousing and distribution centers; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation regulatory compliance; and the impact on freight costing and shipping capacity. This new regulation will have an impact on production scheduling, raw material purchasing, sales and the ability to meet customer delivery demands.

    • 50

    • Considerations for Safe Handling of Roll Neck Bearings

      This paper will discuss proper lifting procedures for mill roll neck bearings as both complete assemblies and as individual components. Bearing standard and optional design features to facilitate safe handling are introduced. Standard lifting device design configurations are also discussed, together with relevant industry design standards. The objectives of this paper are to improve roll shop safety and awareness, reduce handling damage to the chock and bearing components, and reduce lost-time injuries by raising awareness on the dangers of using legacy lifting devices and educating on proper fixture designs and lifting techniques.

    • 56

    • Material Handling: The Handling of Coils, Rolls and Slabs in the Steel Mill Environment

      The purpose of this paper is to serve as a guide in determining the best tool to use when handling various objects in the steel mill. This is based on constraints and issues as they arise. Included is a study based on facts such as headroom, gripping strength and aisle constraints. Information on handling, coils, rolls and slabs will be presented, along with safety information.

    • 64

    • Improved Advanced Control for Fault-Tolerant Operation of a Tandem Cold Rolling Mill

      Previous work examined the usage of an advanced technique for control of a tandem cold rolling mill. This paper expands on the previous work by applying improvements to this technique as developed in subsequent work for advanced control of a tandem hot mill. This investigation has resulted in a simpler method for control of tandem cold rolling, plus other improvements such as the use of virtual rolling to realize continuity of operation in the presence of various measurement faults. Simulations at the University of Pittsburgh have shown this improved control method to be highly successful.

    • 76

    • Q-SYM2 – The State of the Art of the Scrap Yard and Metal Management and Future Development

      Q-SYM2 automatic scrap management system reduces scrap handling costs while improving electric arc furnace efficiency. Main functionalities include: automatic scrap classification based on image acquisition of incoming raw material; real-time inventory with 3D mapping based on laser volumetric system to instantly quantify each type of scrap; bucket charge verification; effective 3D representation of stratigraphy inside the buckets, scrap volume, weight and density; and exhaustive logs of all movements inside the yard, with the pictures acquired during operation. All these functionalities, integrated with complete material tracking in the yard, are propaedeutic to the fully automated scrap yard with automatic and fully autonomous cranes.

    • 86

    • Dynamic EAF Operation to React on Changing Raw Materials When Producing a Variety of High-Alloyed and Stainless Steel Grades Via Different Process Routes

      In the beginning of 2017, Sweden-based Sandvik Materials Technology decided to upgrade its old electric arc furnace electrode regulator, which was replaced in August 2017 during the summer shutdown. From the electrical and automation side, Sandvik chose the Mexican company AMI as a partner with its high-performance DigitARC PX3 Electrode Regulation System, including the supervisory dynamic power input optimization module SmartARC. From the mechanical side, the hydraulic unit for the electrode lift as well as the electrode lifting cylinders were replaced by the German-based company BK-Services. In this paper, the project will be described and the results will be presented.

    • 162

    • Effect of Aluminum Occurrence State on the Formation of Calcium Ferrites in the Sintering Process of Iron Ore Fines

      Silico-ferrite of calcium and aluminum (SFCA) is a primary bonding phase of high-basicity sinter. Al2O3 plays an important role in the formation of Al-containing calcium ferrite, which is a key precursor during the formation of SFCA. In this work, experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of aluminum occurrence state on the formation of calcium ferrites in the sintering

      process by simulating the solid-solid and solid-liquid reactions of different Al-bearing hematite.