V

Productivity Improvement

No

Name

Description

Client / Employer

41

Decreasing the number of passes in the rolling schedule with fuller use of force and torque.

An offline model was used to search for the optimum utilization of force and torque in rolling passes. Parameters were adjusted in Tippins, Ansaldo, Prosoft and GE models to duplicate the optimum from the offline model. A subroutine in Fortran or C++ was installed in the existing level 2 to adjust the drafting, if the existing model did not have good tuning parameters. Tables for flow stress were adjusted, if needed, after looking at the errors in the force and torque predictions.

SMC, Allegheny Ludlum, Nanjing, LPN

42

Scheduling reheat furnace slab line up and firing

Heating models for billets and slabs were used to project temperatures, as the steel was heated in a reheat furnace. The order of slabs to be charged into the furnace was recommended. The setting for the set points and the time needed before extracting the pieces from the furnace to obtain uniform temperatures along length and through the thickness were also recommended. Conservative practices on the use of energy and the emission of pollutants were provided.

SMC, Nanjing, JL Specialty, Green river, Interstate forge

43

Decarburization and degassing of liquid metal

Models of carbon removal and metal oxidation were used when using oxygen with inert gas in liquid steel. The volume of oxygen and inert gas to achieve specific carbon levels with minimum metal oxidation was recommended. The silicon or aluminum additions needed to recover the metals oxidized during decarburization were recommended.

Allegheny Ludlum, Air products, SMC

44

Maximize production of a plant with flow analysis

Models were created of the layout and flow of material in a production shop to assess the productivity of the shop and the utilization of equipment. The throughputs of each piece of equipment and each alternative layout of equipment were projected. The size of storage areas, yards, rail road tracks, loading devices and other equipment to reach a production target was recommended. The optimum product selection to utilize a particular arrangement of equipment in a shop was also recommended. The practices for scheduling personnel and staging the movement of products to maximize the utilization of equipment in the shop were calculated. The size and the capability for melting, casting, cooling, reheating and rolling processes along with the associated handling equipment were recommended.

OSM, Bethlehem, SMC