Abstract
A project manned by staff from a rolling mill manufacturer, Davy McKee (Sheffield) Ltd, and the Capenhurst Research Centre of the Electricity Council has produced equipment capable of demonstrating the production of strip metal from powder feedstock. Although this concept is not new and some production plants are in operation, new technology has been introduced in the form of glow discharge electron beam heating to heat the ‘green’ strip before hot rolling. The features of the glow discharge heater which make it ideal for this particular application include high power density, rapid non-contact heating to temperatures up to 1600°C, and built-in protective atmosphere with low gas consumption. The paper describes a prototype plant rated at 100 kW which handles strip widths of 50 to 100 mm and thicknesses of 0·8 to 1·5 mm at speeds of up to 20 m min−1. The complete installation has been used to produce samples of hot rolled strip in stainless steel for evaluation. This process route offers savings in capital and operating costs plus the opportunity to manufacture strip as a minimill concept. PM/0311
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.