Done by: Ches Anna

FPb-1-12-4.0d

Few fireworks displays are more spectacular than the drama that is steel making.
The story of hot metal and cold steel is fascinating from start to finish, especially
when seen through the eyes of United States Steel.
For our company the story begins with a blast. As rock explodes and the raw
materials of steel are tossed from the earth. The rock is taconite and the prize inside is
crude iron ore. We get at it by grinding the rock to power and separating the iron ore
with powerful magnets then we form an Hethor into marble sized pallets, that will
later be converted to iron. From bituminous coal, we create /// to fuel the iron-making
process.
We crashed the coal, ceil it in air-tight ovens and bake for 12 to 16 hours and remove
it from the oven as solid carbon fuel. The fuel and pallets come together in the blast
furnace.
Where we had just enough limestone to remove impurities. From below a continuous
blast of super-heated air combusts the coals, intensifying the heat and changing raw
materials into melting iron. Sometimes more than 9 000 tons of it a day are /// where
it reaches the temperature of 27 /100 degrees Fahrenheit .At regular intervals we tap
this blistering brew into giant submarine/// that ride on rails to the basic oxygen
shop where iron will be turned into steel.
In this fast-paced sequence, up to 250 tons of steel can be made to order in less than
45 minutes. We begin the steel-making process by dumping recycled steel scrap into
the basic oxygen furnace and adding hot iron. Sparks steal the show, when high
purity oxygen is blown into the mix at supersonic speeds and molten iron becomes
molten steel.
Now were ready to create the custom blends that make steal the most widely used
metal on the Planet. In fact, we produce over 1500 different chemistries to meet
customer demand for cutting-edge value added steam. Look for another show of
sparks, as we tap molten steel from the vessel into a (letal). Then for most of our
steels its up to the vacuum degasser where they make highly formable. The focus
then shifts to forming and finishing, which determine even more of the steels
characteristics.
The first step in this sequence is to position the (letal) above a massive ton dish or
feral that feeds a continuous caster containing malls that shape the steel. The molten
steel, now at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit is channel from legal to ton dish, to castor
where it cools to a red hot solid. The shape of the Mold determines the shape the
semi-finished product that comes out of the caster and since most US Steel Plants
make ship products most of our casters output slants. Typically eight to nine inches
thick and 3 to 5 ft. wide. As they exit the caster, slants are cut into sections up to forty
feet long and stacked to a weight further processing.
Then its onto the hot strip mill.
This is where we begin transforming steel slab into steel sheet. Slams are reheated to
2400 degrees Fahrenheit and scaled before running through a series /// that make
them thinner and longer.
Then they cycle through finishing stands where they are rolled even thinner. Finally
they are cooled and rolled into coils that may be thousands of feet long, but only
fractions of an inch thick. /// from the chunky rectangle that came out of the caster.
And the entire process is untouched by human hands. Controlled instead by operators
using state-of-the-art automated equipment in /// that overlook the action. Next, we
move to the piccolo where coils move through an acid bath that cleans the surface.
Some of the emerging coils are shipped directly to customers as /// . Others are
destined for applications that require special finishing. Beginning with cold rolling to
make them even thinner. At that point coils may be shipped or go on to one or more
additional finishing processes, coding to make the steel resistant to corrosion. Tining
to further reduce the gage and add the tin code we commonly see on canned goods.
Annealing to make steel that easier to bend and form. And temporary that uses
special rollers to add hardness and create surface textures and other special finishes.
In fact, many of our products leave the finishing facilities as the industries newest
superstars. Lighter, stronger, highly engineered steels that were unheard of, just a few
short years ago. No wonder, the story of steelmaking stays so fresh. With innovations
that guarantee something new to see in each showing.
With product placements in our homes and high-rises, on our highways and any other
art of our daily lives. And with a cast of thousands who continue to improve and
perfect every step of the steelmaking process from shaped palette to shipped coil and
beyond.