AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarship
Robert G. Cheney
This past summer, I had the great opportunity to return to Nucor Steel–Tuscaloosa as a process metallurgy intern. I had worked in the meltshop previously, and this summer I was in our rolling mill which gave me the chance to see a whole new side of our steelmaking process. Moving departments was a daunting task as the projects, process, and teammates were all new to me, but I was privileged to learn from exceptional mentors all from supervisors and engineers to our production and maintenance teams.
The most prominent aspect of my internship was Nucor’s outstanding commitment to safety in all that we do. Every morning, we had a department meeting that always started with discussions on how we can continue to work safely and improve our processes and the workplace environment. I was deeply impacted by this culture and mindset that was truly shared by everyone on plant site. From my first day in the mill, I was treated with nothing but respect and care by our team, being given projects of significance to our steelmaking process.
My internship duties included both developing long-term process improvements and day-to-day tasks. The main project I worked on was studying the formation of iron oxide scale and reducing the yield losses from rolled-in-scale at our cut line. Since hot rolling occurs at such high temperatures, the strip oxidizes as we roll it, and high-pressure water nozzles within the mill aid in removing the surface oxide in between passes. I studied our current descaling practices and worked with our production team to collect samples from finished plates to measure the scale jacket. This project presented several unique challenges, but my supervisor and mentor challenged me to think outside the box and consider every variable I could. Through vast amounts of data analysis and sample measurements, working closely with the team, I was able to develop some creative solutions to the problem with the intent of improving our finished surface. I also worked on improving our rolling practices and how they related to the final profile of the strip. Through careful control of the mill setup throughout the rolling process, we sought to improve the crown across the cross section of the plate to reduce shape issues.
Additionally, I assisted with several day-to-day tasks with other metallurgists including inspecting slabs and plates for potential defects, ensuring our quality policies were relevant and up to date, and participating in monthly safety walkthroughs. I got to serve on the Hazard Elimination through Relentless Observation (H.E.R.O.) team this summer where we worked to develop new ways to incentivize constant improvements to safety across all areas. This furthered my respect for Nucor and their culture and commitment to safety.
This summer absolutely gave me a much more complete picture of steelmaking. I came away with a deeper technical understanding, new problem-solving skills and an even stronger passion for the steel industry. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else with my life. I’m more excited than ever to be part of this work, and I’m incredibly grateful to both Nucor and the AIST Foundation for continuously supporting my educational and professional development.