Big River Steel Flex Mill to produce hot rolled steel one inch thick, 78 inches wide
December 23, 2016
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Big River Steel, Osceola, Ark., announces that it has begun operations in the first steel mill in North America to connect an electric arc furnace to a Ruhrstahl Heraeus degasser, and will be the only EAF mill in the United States to produce hot rolled steel as thick as one inch and as wide as 78 inches. Based on the technology and the design of the facility, the mill will reportedly produce a range of material dimensions and strength levels never before produced in an EAF mill.
The company says this is the world's first Flex Mill melt shop and hot mill. These are the third and fourth areas of the mill to be commissioned following the batch anneal facility and temper mill. The first hot-rolled coil was purchased by Zekelman Industries and will be sent to Atlas Tube, one of the company's structural tube mills in Blytheville, Arkansas. Zekelman Industries purchased the coil for $100,000 with the entire amount jointly contributed by Big River and Zekelman Industries to Wounded Warrior Project and Arkansas Northeastern College.
Under construction since July 2014, Big River is commissioning some of the world's newest steelmaking technology and will recycle approximately two million tons of scrap metal and other metallics to produce 1.6 million tons of finished steel products annually.
www.bigriversteel.com
Big River Steel, Osceola, Ark., announces that it has begun operations in the first steel mill in North America to connect an electric arc furnace to a Ruhrstahl Heraeus degasser, and will be the only EAF mill in the United States to produce hot rolled steel as thick as one inch and as wide as 78 inches.
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Sandvik super-duplex stainless steel selected for prototype boat
September 7, 2016
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Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, announces that its Sandvik SAF 2507 high-strength super-duplex stainless steel has been selected for Project P16 Prototype, an innovative 56-foot prototype boat being built by Swedish Steel Yacht AB. The aim of the project is to evaluate an entirely new technology for constructing more efficient, stronger, and maintenance-free vessels. On completion, the new boat can potentially open up a whole new market for vessels of this type. The prototype boat is aimed to be used by the Coast Guard and sea-rescue services, or as a civilian transport boat.
The new boat will be built of high-strength, maintenance-free stainless steel under a partnership agreement signed by Swedish Steel Yachts AB (SSY), Sandvik Materials Technology, AGA Gas, Saab, and Scania CV.
Sandvik SAF 2507 (UNS S32750) is a super-duplex stainless steel; a high-alloy duplex steel with a PRE (pitting resistance equivalent) value of min. 42. The grade is characterized by very good resistance to chloride corrosion, combined with very high mechanical strength. Sandvik SAF 2507 is particularly suited for service in aggressive environments such as warm chlorinated seawater and acidic, chloride-containing media.
"This is a very exciting development and evaluation project between four major Swedish companies," says Pasi Kangas, Head of Research and Development at Sandvik Materials Technology. "it could solve several key challenges in the boatbuilding industry, by providing more efficient, safer, and greener boats in the future."
The shipping industry currently accounts for a substantial portion of air and sea environmental impact around the world. This is a key factor in the design of the new boat, which requires less material, thereby lightening the vessel and reducing fuel consumption. In addition, the shipbuilding material, Sandvik's advanced steel Sandvik SAF 2507, is 100% recyclable stainless steel and will not need to be painted with poisonous antifouling paint, as is the case with traditional shipbuilding materials.
The vessel will be delivered in the first quarter of 2017 and is being built in Gävle, Sweden, by SSY. On completion, the vessel will be used mainly by Saab and based in Karlskrona.
www.smt.sandvik.com
Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, announces that its Sandvik SAF 2507 high-strength super-duplex stainless steel has been selected for Project P16 Prototype, an innovative 56-foot prototype boat being built by Swedish Steel Yacht AB.
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Commercial Metals to build steel micromill in Oklahoma for long products
May 3, 2016
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Commercial Metals Co., Irving, Texas, announces that it has begun construction of an electric-arc-furnace steel micromill in Durant, Okla., to produce long products by its continuous-continuous manufacturing process in which steel is melted, cast, and rolled from a single uninterrupted strand. The technology produces higher yields and consumes less energy than the traditional minimill process.
The company says that the new mill will produce low-cost, high-quality long steel products that will complement CMC's recycling and fabrication plants, and will enable it to better serve markets in Texas, Oklahoma, and surrounding states.
The Oklahoma micro mill is to be commissioned in the fall of 2017, and is expected to create approximately 300 jobs in the Durant area.
Commercial Metals Company and its subsidiaries manufacture, recycle, and market steel and metal products, related materials, and services through a network of steel minimills, steel fabrication and processing plants, construction-related product warehouses, metal recycling facilities, and marketing and distribution offices in the United States and in strategic international markets.
http://www.cmc.com
Commercial Metals Co., Irving, Texas, announces that it has begun construction of an electric-arc-furnace steel micromill in Durant, Okla., to produce long products by its continuous-continuous manufacturing process in which steel is melted, cast, and rolled from a single uninterrupted strand.
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Lockheed Martin commemorates the USS Milwaukee with custom motorcycle
December 9, 2015
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Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Md., announces that it has collaborated with Harley-Davidson on a one-of-a-kind motorcycle to honor the U.S. Navy and the city of Milwaukee, to commemorate the commissioning of the USS Milwaukee, our nation's fifth Littoral Combat Ship.
"We wanted to do something special for the occasion and support the families of our military men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms," said Stephanie C. Hill, Lockheed Martin vice president of Ship & Aviation Systems. "We're excited to collaborate with Milwaukee's own Harley-Davidson, a company that has been fulfilling dreams of personal freedom for over 100 years."
The motorcycle will be on display during USS Milwaukee Commissioning week, followed by appearances at U.S. Navy, industry, and STEM events over the next year, culminating with a charity auction to support the National Military Family Association (NMFA).
Harley-Davidson Chief Stylist Ray Drea designed the motorcycle, drawing inspiration from touring the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, where the Lockheed Martin-led industry team builds the Freedom-variant LCS. The design also honors historic WWII-era Harley-Davidson motorcycles to model some of the authentic Navy and military custom details.
The fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name Milwaukee, the ship will transit to its homeport in San Diego, California. There it will be integrated into the fleet, and the industry-Navy team will conduct additional program testing and crew training before she begins her first deployment.
www.lockheedmartin.com
Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Md., announces that it has collaborated with Harley-Davidson on a one-of-a-kind motorcycle to honor the U.S. Navy and the city of Milwaukee, to commemorate the commissioning of the USS Milwaukee, our nation’s fifth Littoral Combat Ship.
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Magnesium syntactic foam metal matrix composite floats on water
May 20, 2015
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Researchers from Deep Springs Technology, Toledo, Ohio, and New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering have reportedly demonstrated a magnesium syntactic foam metal matrix composite with density so low that it can float on water. The magnesium matrix is reinforced with small silicon carbide hollow spheres and has a density of only 0.92 g/cc vs. 1.0 g/cc for water. In addition to its low density, it is strong enough to withstand the harsh conditions in the marine environment.
The syntactic foam made by DST and NYU captures the lightness of foams, but adds substantial strength. The secret of this syntactic foam starts with a matrix made of a magnesium alloy, which is then turned into foam by adding strong, lightweight silicon carbide hollow spheres developed and manufactured by DST. A single sphere's shell can withstand pressure of over 25,000 psi before it ruptures—one hundred times the maximum pressure in a fire hose.
The hollow particles also offer impact protection to the syntactic foam because each shell acts like an energy absorber during its fracture. The composite can be customized for density and other properties by adding more or fewer shells into the metal matrix to fit the requirements of the application. This concept can also be used with other magnesium alloys that are non-flammable.
The new composite has potential applications in boat flooring, automobile parts, and buoyancy modules, as well as vehicle armor.
The authors recently published their findings in the International Journal of Impact Engineering. "Dynamic Properties of Silicon Carbide Hollow Particle Filled Magnesium Alloy (AZ91D) Matrix Syntactic Foams." (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0734743X15000767).
The technology for the new composite is very close to maturation and could be put into prototypes for testing within three years. Amphibious vehicles such as the Ultra Heavy-lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC) being developed by the U.S. Marine Corps can especially benefit from the light weight and high buoyancy offered by the new syntactic foams, the researchers explained.
"This new development of very light metal matrix composites can swing the pendulum back in favor of metallic materials," forecasts Nikhil Gupta, an NYU School of Engineering professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the study's co-author. "The ability of metals to withstand higher temperatures can be a huge advantage for these composites in engine and exhaust components, quite apart from structural parts." This research is conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
http://engineering.nyu.edu
Researchers from Deep Springs Technology, Toledo, Ohio, and New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering have reportedly demonstrated a magnesium syntactic foam metal matrix composite with density so low that it can float on water.
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Greener ship propellers
October 31, 2014
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Some of the propeller blades manufactured by Oshaug Metall AS in Molde, Norway, are so big that if the complete propeller stood on end, it would reach up to the roof of a three-story building. In collaboration with Oshaug, SINTEF developed an energy-saving casting technology which successfully completed pilot trials at the foundry's manufacturing center in Norway.
"The pilots reveal that the method can save as much as 35% of the electricity currently used to melt the metal we need to cast a propeller", says Arne Nordmark, a researcher at SINTEF and father of the invention.
Propeller parts from the foundry in Molde end up in the propulsion systems and lateral propellers in everything from naval vessels to cruise ships. The smelting furnaces at Oshaug consume as much electricity as a hundred average Norwegian households—1.5 million kilowatt hours per year.
"The results of the project so far indicate that we can reduce electricity consumption by half a million kilowatt hours per year, and in this way reduce both costs and negative impacts on the environment," says Stein Berg Oshaug.
Unlike water, which expands when it freezes, molten metals shrink in volume when they solidify. Foundries compensate for this during the casting process by adding a little extra molten metal from reservoirs called feeders. The feeder forms part of the mold and is situated above the level of the casting. As the propeller blade solidifies and starts shrinking, additional molten metal is supplied from the feeder.
However, the metal in the feeder also solidifies. But if it is to compensate for the shrinkage in the casting, this metal must not be allowed to solidify before the propeller metal does. The feeder must retain molten metal right up until the time when the blade becomes solid. Currently, this is achieved by making big feeders—on the principle that large volumes solidify more slowly than small ones.
The new invention involves surrounding the feeder with an induction coil that supplies heat which keeps the metal in the feeder molten. This means that feeders no longer have to be so big in order to do their job. They only have to be large enough to contain the small amount of molten metal needed to compensate for the shrinkage in the casting.
According Nordmark, this is important because, "Currently, in order to prevent the too rapid solidification of the metal in the feeder, a propeller blade manufactured using traditional casting methods requires a feeder almost as large as the blade itself. A blade weighing 1000 kg may require a feeder weighing as much as 800 kg. However, shrinkage during solidification constitutes only about 10% of the weight and volume of the propeller blade. If the metal in the feeder is kept molten using heat supplied by an induction coil, only 100 kg are required to compensate for the shrinkage of a propeller blade weighing 1000 kg. So instead of having to melt 1800 kg of metal, foundries would only need 1100 kg."
Because the invention comes close to halving the amount of metal that has to be melted, Oshaug will now be able to cast more propeller blades in a given time (or bigger blades) than its current capacity permits.
"The new technology enables us to increase production capacity by as much as 50%, and in cash terms this is even more than we save in electricity," says Oshaug.
An extra bonus is that there is less need for heavy-duty post-casting work. After the casting process is complete and the metal solidified, the feeder metal is cut from the casting for re-melting during the next casting operation. This cutting process is very time-consuming for feeders of large diameter. During the pilot trials of the new technology in Molde, the diameter of the feeder was reduced by 60%, thus reducing cutting work.
Image caption — New technology almost halves the amount of metal that has to be melted in order to cast a propeller blade. This was tested for the first time on an industrial scale at Oshaug Metall in Molde. Photo: Oshaug Metall/Arnt Jørgen Sønslien.
Invention reduces the energy that foundries need to manufacture ship propeller blades by a third.
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Timken announces date for spinoff of its steel business as independent company
June 17, 2014
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The Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, announces record and distribution dates for the spinoff of its steel business, which will be effected through the distribution of 100% of the common shares of TimkenSteel Corp. to holders of Timken Company common shares. Following the distribution, TimkenSteel will be an independent, publicly traded company; it has received approval to list its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TMST.
Timken shareholders will receive one TimkenSteel common share for every two common shares of Timken held at the close of business on the record date of June 23, 2014. Timken shareholders entitled to receive the June 30 distribution will receive a book-entry account statement or a credit to their brokerage accounts reflecting their new ownership of TimkenSteel common shares.
After the spinoff, Timken will continue to focus on its core bearings business as well as related power transmission products and services.
"With this strategic value-building initiative soon behind us," said Richard G. Kyle, Timken president and chief executive officer, "we will continue to manage the business for profitable growth while maintaining our focus on delivering products and services that keep the world's industries working reliably and efficiently. We're certainly encouraged by our progress and confident in our future prospects."
www.timken.com
The Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, announces record and distribution dates for the spinoff of its steel business, which will be effected through the distribution of 100% of the common shares of TimkenSteel Corp. to holders of Timken Company common shares.
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Duplex stainless steel yacht is lighter than aluminum
April 22, 2014
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Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, has built a prototype stainless steel yacht manufactured entirely of Sandvik SAF 2507 duplex stainless steel. Construction is based on a thin hull with internal ship-length reinforcements. It is lighter than traditional aluminum boats, and consumes half as much fuel. SAF 2507 provides excellent corrosion properties and very high mechanical strength. It is particularly well-suited for service in aggressive environments such as warm chlorinated seawater and acidic, chloride-containing media.
Suitable for service in highly corrosive conditions and where high strength is required, the properties of Sandvik SAF 2507 are being widely used in offshore oil and gas exploration and production, and in heat exchangers in petrochemical and chemical processing. The grade is also a good choice for hydraulic and instrumentation applications in tropical marine environments.
The external surface is manufactured and delivered under license from Outokumpu, while Sandvik delivers the boat's details, such as strip steel for hull reinforcements, welding wire, tubes, and propeller-shaft rods.
www.smt.sandvik.com
Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, has built a prototype stainless steel yacht manufactured entirely of Sandvik SAF 2507 duplex stainless steel.
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