STEEL GRIPS online

Handan Iron & Steel, China, orders equipment for bar and wire rod mills

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:46:37 +0200

The Chinese company Handan Iron & Steel Co. ordered equipment for a bar mill and a mill train for the wire rod mill. The project is scheduled to be completed by late 2010. Handan ordered a rod outlet for the wire rod mill at the end of 2009.

Two walking beam furnaces for Hyundai Steel, South Korea

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:02:39 +0200

Hyundai Steel, South Korea, has recently completed the start-up of two 235 metric tons/h walking beam furnaces for reheating ...

Dragon Steel, Taiwan, to enhance steel production

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:56:43 +0200

Dragon Steel Corporation, Taiwan, took the first of two carbon-steel converters at the Taichung works into operation. The second converter is scheduled ...

Top steelmakers of 2009: Continual progression of China’s stronghold

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:52:48 +0200

2009 was a year when world steel production showed massively divergent trends – strongly up in China and sharply down almost everywhere else. As a result, Chinese companies dominate the Top 20 ...

Metallurgy in Russia: End-2009 Annual Review

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:57:58 +0200

According to ROSSTAT, year 2009 metallurgical production in the Russian Federation amounted to 86.5% of the level of 2008. 2009 crude steel production in Russia decreased by 13.9% in comparison with 2008 and amounted to ...

World average stainless steel prices - Latest forecasts

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:43:23 +0200

orecasts are little changed from January. Rising raw material costs are expected to push world stainless steel selling figures higher in the short term, with increases predicted in ...

Steel Statistical Yearbook 2009 is available online

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:19:07 +0200

The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has published the 2009 Steel Statistical Yearbook and it is now available on the website.

Study on desulphurization and reoxidation by coupled thermodynamic modelling and CFD simulation

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:17:04 +0200

In the present work, a thermodynamic model taking into account all involved slag metal reactions was incorporated into a 2-dimensional fluid flow model of an argon stirred ladle. Both, the thermodynamic constraints and the mass balance were considered. The activities of the oxide components in the slag phase were described using the thermodynamic model by Björkvall, and the liquid metal using the dilute solution model. Desulphurization was simulated using the sulphide capacity model developed by KTH group. A 2-dimensional fluid flow model considering slag, steel and argon phases was adopted. The model predictions were compared with industrial data. The promising model calculation encourages new 3-dimensional CFD simulation.

Near-record global stainless steel production in 2010?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:17:03 +0200

Global crude stainless steel production for 2009 is expected to total 24.7 million tonnes. This corresponds to a decline of 4.6 percent from the result in the previous calendar year.

Rising input costs push the global price upwards in February

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:56 +0200

S customers are cautiously optimistic that consumption will grow for seasonal reasons in the spring. At present, the supply/demand balance for strip mill products is relatively tight, with steelmakers quoting May deliveries. The availability situation could ...

Iron ore spot price hits new high in China

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:14:52 +0200

The iron ore reference price for 62% Fe content fines hit a new high on 25 February 2010, reaching US$ 133.10 per dry metric tonne (dmt) CFR Tianjin port in China. This price represents a 125% increase since March 2009, when the price dropped to US$ 59.10/dmt. After falling ...

Steel prices in the Developing Markets´ remain unsettled in February

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:55:56 +0200

Trading activity in Turkey has been sluggish in February. A few local long product steelmakers have opted to downgrade their production. The decision was taken after poor orders for construction steels were received. In the flat product segment, Erdemir raised its ...

January 2010 crude steel production

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:24:50 +0200

World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 109 million metric tons in January. This is 25.5% higher than January 2009.

World steel statistics monthly commentary - February 2010

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:54:15 +0200

The World Steel Association estimated crude steel production for its 66 monthly countries to be 1199 million tonnes in 2009, 8.1% down on the annual 2008 total of 1304 million tonnes. However, China accounted for 47% of this total, and the annual total excluding China fell by 21.5% compared to 2008. The December crude steel production for the 66 countries increased by 30% to 106.4 million tonnes, and China accounted for just under 45% of this total. The World Steel Association assessment of total global production in 2009 is 1220 million tonnes, 8% less than the 2008 total of 1326 million tonnes.

Higher mill input costs drive steel prices up in northern Europe

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:41:11 +0200

Flat products in northern Europe recorded moderate price increases during the past month. The producers are seeking significant hikes, justified, they say, by their escalating input costs. Scrap has become ...

Global flat product steel price rises again in February

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:23:56 +0200

First quarter flat product business is virtually finished now and spot prices for stripmill products have moved up in many instances. They are expected to ...

Corus mothballs Teesside, UK, steel plant

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:24:35 +0200

Ater failing to bring in a long-term strategic partner for Teesside Cast Products (TCP), Tata Steel said steel production at the Corus plant at Teesside, UK, will be ceased.

0.5 Mt/a special steels rolling mill for Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd.- India

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:29:45 +0200

Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd has ordered a 500,000 t/a rolling mill plant to be installed in the state of Orissa, India, for production of specialty and engineering steel long products.

Large-size special steel bloom caster in operation at Usha Martin Ltd, India

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:20:46 +0200

A new twin-strand, 12-m-radius special steel bloom conticaster operates at Usha Martin's new meltshop in Adityapur (Jamshedpur) in the State of Jharkand, after the startup that took place in September 2009.

Global iron and steel production to reach a "all-time" high in 2010

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:39:10 +0200

MEPS forecasts world steel output at 1,350 million tonnes in 2010. This will be an all-time high figure and represents an increase of approximately 11 percent over the anticipated outturn in the previous twelve months. Blastfurnace iron production is also predicted to ...

EU steel market: first green shoots of recovery

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:03:54 +0200

Eurofer signals that economic momentum in the EU economy should gradually gain further strength this year. Progress will be ...

US long-product manufacturer Alton Steel chooses new profile gauging system

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:42:32 +0200

US company Alton Steel Inc. has become the world's first steel producer to use Orbis+ to measure the profile of long products. The fully rotating, on-line gauge for wire rod and bar mills delivers improvements in both product quality and ...

worldsteel works with UNEP toward a low carbon society

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:45:50 +0200

The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has joined the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Life Cycle Initiative (LC Ini) as a Gold Sponsor. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is used for the ...

ERW tube welding line for Arvedi, Italy

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:23:40 +0200

A 12 ¾” ERW (Electric Resistance Welded) tube welding line for heavy wall thicknesses has been commissioned at Arvedi Tube Acciaio S.p.A. in Cremona, Italy.

Yichang Three Gorges, China, orders two continuous annealing lines

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:51:20 +0200

Yichang Three Gorges, China, ordered two continuous annealing lines. Both lines will process ultra-thin sheet, which will then be electroplated and used as packaging material.

BSG - 1st Chinese manufacturer of stretch-reduced welded tubes

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:42:24 +0200

China National Petroleum Corporation [CNPC] ordered a stretch reducing block and a rotating hot saw, which are the core of the new continuous production plant.

ThyssenKrupp Bausysteme GmbH, Germany, disposed of insulated door plant

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:46:07 +0200

ThyssenKrupp Bausysteme GmbH sold its manufacturing plant for insulated doors in Pansdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, effective February 1, 2010. The plant mainly produces ...

Asian average stainless steel prices - latest forecasts

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:35:14 +0200

Asian stainless steel forecasts are little changed from December 2009. An anticipated hike in alloy surcharges for February 2010 will, almost certainly, result in ...

World stainless steel prices slip in January but upturn imminent

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:58:40 +0200

The stainless steel market appears to be at something of a crossroads, with raw material costs, end-user demand and the aims of the producers all having their separate influences. In the West, in particular, the post-recession pick-up in demand is ...

Two more direct reduction plants in the MENA region

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:03:47 +0200

After the successful startup of the 1,6 Mt/a Energiron DRI plant at Emirates Steel Industries (ESI) Minimill #1 in Abu Dhabi two more new DRI plants are being erected in the MENA region.

Nizhny Tagil, Russia, to increase caster capacity and product range

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:43:09 +0200

Russian steel producer Nizhny Tagil Iron & Steel Works (NTMK) placed an order to increase the casting capability of the existing two-strand beam-blank/bloom combi-caster CCM3.

Raw material costs push the developing markets´ average steel price higher

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:12:25 +0200

Trading activity in the Turkish market has remained downbeat. Local long product steelmakers have struggled to sell material at their cost of production either at home or in their export markets. Output levels are now more than likely to be ...

Influence of coking time on coke quality from non-recovery vibro-compacting coke ovens

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:19:23 +0200

Coke quality depends on the quality of coal or its blend, coking parameters and pre-carbonisation techniques, if any. JSW Steel has adopted vibro-compaction pre-carbonisation technique, along with non-recovery ovens, having a capacity to produce 1.2 million t/a of coke. Coking conditions are determined majorily by coking time and oven temperatures, etc. Coking time is the most important parameter of coking conditions and plays a significant role on coke quality. The coking conditions are determined, to a great extent, by the quality of coal blend used, especially the volatile matter (VM) and the coking properties. Plant scale trials were conducted by varying coking time on different coal blends to study its effect on the process and coke quality. The experiments at vibro-compacted non-recovery coke ovens revealed that coking time influences the coke quality and depends on the quality of the coal blend. The high temperature properties, coke reactivity index (CRI) and coke strength after reaction (CSR), improved with longer carbonisation time in case of coal blends with inferior coals in the blend.

World crude steel output decreases by -8.0% in 2009

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:40:03 +0200

Steel production declined in nearly all the major steel producing countries and regions including the EU, North America, South America and the CIS in 2009. However, Asia, in particular China and India, and the Middle East showed positive growth in 2009.

Northern European steel prices show modest upward trend

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:13:52 +0200

The Flat Products market got off to a slow start to 2010 in Northern Europe. Some suppliers report increasing numbers of enquiries and even sales, although this activity is perceived to be due to restocking rather than growing real demand. Some products, though, such as ...

Ukrainian Metallurgy: End-2009 annual review

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:15:44 +0200

According to the Ukrainian association of the metallurgical enterprises METALLURGPROM, Ukrainian crude steel production in 2009 declined (in comparison with 2008 levels of 37.1 mt) by up to 17.4% and reached ~29.8 mt. For the steel industry of the Ukraine, this is the lowest level of crude steel output since 2000.

Influence of operational parameters on the performance of the Corex reduction shaft

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:36:22 +0200

Smelting reduction (SR) processes were developed with the objective of eliminating the need for coke, since the good quality coking coal reserves are limited and depleting fast. The SR processes operate with coal to meet the thermal and reducing requirements. Corex is one of such SR processes which emerged as a commercially viable iron making technology. It consists of two reactors: the reduction shaft and the melter-gasifier. The reduced iron bearing material from the reduction shaft is charged into the melter-gasifier for melting. The performance of this process is thus highly dependent on the efficiency of the reduction shaft. The performance of the reduction shaft is measured by the degree of metallization of the direct-reduced iron (DRI) product. The metallization is dependent on operational parameters and on quality and type of the iron bearing material charged. Other than the quality of the iron bearing material, operational parameters also influence the performance of the shaft and the degree of metallization of the shaft product. ...

New developments in welding technology, profound base to enhance chances

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:01:33 +0200

Good mood dominated the 17th International Essen Welding Fair, thus delighting the 1015 exhibitors. Before the beginning of the exhibition which started on September 14th under the clouds of the worldwide economic crisis, many firms were still uncertain whether this year’s involvement would pay off. However, the number of visitors on the second and third days of the fair was already slightly above those of the preceding event in 2005. Upon completion, the organizer was able to announce around 6,0000 visitors and, thus, to more than match the level of 5,8000 from four years ago.

Influence of parent metal mechanical properties on those of the different ultra-high-strength steel electron beam welds

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:03:25 +0200

Several combinations of a maraging steel and a medium-alloy medium-C steel both in various conditions were joined by electron beam welding. In the as-welded condition, both, a strength minimum and a toughness maximum were observed. Post-weld aging resulted in increased strength and reduced toughness. The toughness of the welds between both steel grades was observed to lie inbetween that of the maraging steel and medium-alloy medium-C steel.

ArcelorMittal South Africa to upgrade electric arc furnace equipment

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:19:33 +0200

ArcelorMittal South Africa is to install a chemical energy package equipment at the company's Vanderbijlpark Works' three electric arc furnaces.

More positive outlook for EU mill steel prices

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:14:10 +0200

The EU market remained quiet two weeks into the New Year. Many companies took extended holidays because of the poor economic climate and the severe weather hitting several countries has also served to dampen activity. Domestic producers are looking to ...

First commercial ITmk3 plant begins production

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:08:13 +0200

The world's first commercial plant using the ITmk3 Process began production of iron nuggets in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, USA.

The steeluniversity Challenge 2009/2010 ready to launch

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:00:11 +0200

The fifth steeluniversity Challenge will begin at 12:00 GMT on Wednesday, 27 January 2010 and will run for 24 hours. The task is to make steel plate for a yellow goods (construction and agricultural equipment) application.

World steel statistics monthly commentary - December 2009

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:30:45 +0200

Crude steel production in the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association totalled 107 million tonnes in November 2009, 24% higher than in November 2008. However, the eleven months total was 1,090 million tonnes, 10.8% lower than the same period last year.

Hyundai Steel, South Korea, starts operation of its No. 1 blast furnace

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:43:05 +0200

Hyundai Steel, part of the Hyundai Automotive Group, held a furnace 'lighting' ceremony at its new integrated steel mill in Dangjin, South Korea, 123 kilometres southwest of Seoul, to start the operation of its first blast furnace.

Simulating the hot stamping process of high-strength 22MnB5: From hot stamping to crash-simulations

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:21:55 +0200

Going through several aspects of the virtual design chain of hot stamped components, the necessary and often critical points and problems related to the material characterisation and to the simulation of the hot forming process and of the crash behaviour are discussed. Then, the experimental results and simulations of hot stamping laboratory tests on two different geometries are shown and analysed in terms of thinning, temperature distribution, microstructure development and final hardness.

Hot forming - new potentials for innovative manufacturing

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:00:03 +0200

Hot forming has established itself as an important manufacturing technology for body-in-white (BIW) parts. The main advantage is the ultra-high strength of the parts combined with excellent accuracy after the forming step. Hence, adequate process control is indispensable to ensure appropriate part properties. Thermal imaging represents a suitable implement for process monitoring and the understanding of the various parameters influencing temperature behaviour. This device supplies qualitative indications of the thermal conditions with part or tool, especially for R&D activities. Further investigations take into account the part´s strength. A calculated process modification of the strength property class can be adapted to the part demands, and appropriate annealing conditions offer a huge number of feasible strength levels to the family of manganese boron steels. By changing the chemical analysis of the steel a further application for adapted component properties is possible. This causes an increased strength level in the press hardened parts. Thus, and by using these steel grades, it is possible to boost the weight reduction of the body-inwhite structure.

Karl-Ulrich Köhler to join Corus as new COO

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:20:35 +0200

Corus announced the appointment of Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler as its new Chief Operating Officer with effect from 1 February 2010. He succeeds Rauke Henstra, who held the position until his retirement last year.

Variation in surface residual stress of C-Mn rail with usage

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:23:19 +0200

With increasing service life, stresses occurring in rails show a transition from compressive to tensile nature in the gauge corner, accompanied by extensive gauge corner cracks. It is assumed that the presence of the tensile residual stresses causes the cracks to initiate and propagate. New rails, on the other hand, have tensile residual stresses in the head, generated during straightening. Rail failure during service is affected by many parameters, such as intrisic properties of rails, operational conditions and residual stresses developed before and during use. This investigation shows that residual stresses in the head centre transform from tensile to compressive during use, but there is a possibility that deep inside the head, tensile residual stresses remain which may cause fatigue failure. Residual stresses at the foot centre generally decrease with increasing GMT (gross metric ton).

World steel production in 2010 expected to be new record figure

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:38:08 +0200

The outlook for the global steel industry in 2010 is now looking very positive. In fact, analysts are forecasting a new record high output this year. There are several reasons for this bullish prediction.