AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarship
Hannah A.M. Gillgrass
For my steel internship I had opportunity to continue my 16-month term working at ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P. in Hamilton, Ont., Canada. My role as a process engineering intern at the coupled pickle line and tandem cold mill (#1CPCM) focused on optimizing and improving issues within the welding and pickling sections of the plant. It has been a very collaborative environment, and the team met together frequently to discuss improvement tasks and future projects.
As I worked for a 16-month internship term, I was able to develop and learn new things throughout the whole work term. During the last few months, I have had the opportunity to expand on my skills while learning more about different aspects of our mill such as vibration, cobbles and strip breaks. One thing that was always prominent during my time here was the safety culture. Safety at work has been a major focus throughout my time here as it is discussed by the entire team at our frequent health and safety meetings.
Some highlights of projects I had the chance to work on throughout my internship include weld trials, side trimmer blade life improvement and throughput improvement by increasing process speed. We worked on determining better weld recipes while collaborating with research and development to optimize welding on new grades that haven’t previously run at our asset and grades that are prone to weld breaks. I worked on developing blade life metrics to track use of turrets and number of coils slit on each blade. In addition, I took blade micrometer and temperature measurements in the mechanical shop to validate sameness. Another main project during my time was working towards running at a faster speed, by pulling optimal coils to trial that were limited by the speed based on hot rolling temperature, elongation and surface condition.
One key thing I learned during this term of my summer internship was the importance of being open to new opportunities and experiences. I have been involved in AIST through the Northern Member Chapter dinners and keynote presentations. Additionally, I had the chance to attend my first AISTech Conference this year in Nashville, Tenn., which was a great opportunity for personal development and networking. I learned a lot through the technical sessions I attended, Town Hall Forum and the countless exhibits. Throughout my internship, I have toured multiple areas in the steelmaking process around the plant from cokemaking all the way to use of the steel in automotive manufacturing. It was interesting to see and learn more details about how every steel making process works together.
My internship involved so many learning opportunities and I thoroughly enjoyed my 16 months working at ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Thank you to the entire team at 1CPCM and PCR for all their support throughout the entire duration of my internship. Lastly, I want to thank AIST for supporting this amazing hands-on opportunity in the steel industry through the Steel Intern Scholarship. I look forward to continuing to learn in the next year of my degree and for potential future endeavours and opportunities within the steel industry.