Republic Steel, Canton, Ohio, has invested $85 million at its plant in Lorain, Ohio, where it has initiated hot commissioning of its new electric arc furnace. The furnace will provide more than one million tons of steel annually for the production of semi-finished, bar, and coil products. The initial heats will be cast into 6 x 6 in. billets and will be rolled on the 0.9 in. rolling mill.
The largest jet engine gets bigger
The GE90 is already the largest and most powerful jet engine ever built. But that does not mean that GE engineers have stopped trying to make it bigger, better, and leaner.
Its new version, called GE9X, will power Boeing’s next-generation 777X aircraft. GE plans to take new high-strength carbon fiber composite blades developed for the GE9X for a spin at Boeing’s testing rig in Seattle.
Blimp outfitted with microscopes studies the sky
The world’s largest airship, the Skyship 600, made its way through the clouds on a month long journey across the U.S. A team of British scientists made the air trek in a blimp as part of a BBC expedition team to study the clouds and life activity in the air.
Testing system for wind power applications
SAKOR Technologies Inc., Okemos, Mich., announces the availability of its complete AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering groups to test and verify designs, as well as for quality control testing after manufacturing.
New center for materials research to advance manufacturing and innovation
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., selected a consortium led by Northwestern University, Ill., to establish a new NIST-sponsored center of excellence for advanced materials research.