SEMI FINISHED STEEL

Series: Making Shaping and Treating Steel

Year Published: 1960

Description: This United States Steel promotional film, "Semifinished Steel," (1955) is one of the "Making, Shaping and Treating Steel" series. It details the process of transforming molten steel from an open-hearth furnace into various semifinished steel products like ingots, blooms, slabs, and billets. 0:00 Main titles. Molten steel from an open-hearth furnace is ready to be cast into solid blocks called ingots. 0:49 The molten steel is poured ("teemed") into large, cast-iron molds, each holding about 13 tons of steel. The film shows different types of molds, including "big end down" and "big end up" molds, as well as those with "hot tops." 1:38 Small amounts of aluminum are added during teeming to control gas released as the steel cools. 1:57 Once the steel solidifies, the ingots are taken to a stripping bay, where a hydraulic plunger pushes them out of their molds. 2:34 Before being rolled, the ingots are reheated in a furnace called a soaking pit to a proper, uniform rolling temperature. 3:08 The film explains how ingots are rolled into various shapes. Many are rolled into squarish sections called blooms. 3:17 The film shows different types of rolling mills, including a two-high reversing mill and a three-high mill, which pass the steel back and forth between grooved rolls to form the blooms. 3:53 The film then introduces slabs, which are rolled from ingots using horizontal and vertical rolls that shape the edges. 4:11 A high-lift mill is introduced as a versatile option that can roll both blooms and slabs. 4:54 A single operator in a "pulpit" controls the entire rolling process, using massive seel manipulators to turn the ingots between passes. 5:38 The film explains that the rolling process not only squeezes and lengthens the steel but also improves its internal structure, resulting in a close-grained, stronger material.Licensed by Google 6:06 After rolling, the long slab's surface defects are burned off by an automatic scarfing machine before it is cut into suitable lengths for storage. 6:37 The film shows how some blooms are further rolled to make another semifinished product called billets. 7:11 This is done in a continuous mill, where each stand makes the bloom progressively smaller and longer. Billets can be either square or round. 7:23 The film lists the uses of billets: square billets can be rolled into rods for making wire, and round billets can be used for seamless steel tubes. 7:38 The film concludes by stating that billets, blooms, and slabs are the essential semifinished materials from which all steel products are ultimately made.

Complete Record: This United States Steel promotional film, "Semifinished Steel," (1960) is one of the "Making, Shaping and Treating Steel" series. It details the process of transforming molten steel from an open-hearth furnace into various semifinished steel products like ingots, blooms, slabs, and billets. 0:00 Main titles. Molten steel from an open-hearth furnace is ready to be cast into solid blocks called ingots. 0:49 The molten steel is poured ("teemed") into large, cast-iron molds, each holding about 13 tons of steel. The film shows different types of molds, including "big end down" and "big end up" molds, as well as those with "hot tops." 1:38 Small amounts of aluminum are added during teeming to control gas released as the steel cools. 1:57 Once the steel solidifies, the ingots are taken to a stripping bay, where a hydraulic plunger pushes them out of their molds. 2:34 Before being rolled, the ingots are reheated in a furnace called a soaking pit to a proper, uniform rolling temperature. 3:08 The film explains how ingots are rolled into various shapes. Many are rolled into squarish sections called blooms. 3:17 The film shows different types of rolling mills, including a two-high reversing mill and a three-high mill, which pass the steel back and forth between grooved rolls to form the blooms. 3:53 The film then introduces slabs, which are rolled from ingots using horizontal and vertical rolls that shape the edges. 4:11 A high-lift mill is introduced as a versatile option that can roll both blooms and slabs. 4:54 A single operator in a "pulpit" controls the entire rolling process, using massive seel manipulators to turn the ingots between passes. 5:38 The film explains that the rolling process not only squeezes and lengthens the steel but also improves its internal structure, resulting in a close-grained, stronger material.Licensed by Google 6:06 After rolling, the long slab's surface defects are burned off by an automatic scarfing machine before it is cut into suitable lengths for storage. 6:37 The film shows how some blooms are further rolled to make another semifinished product called billets. 7:11 This is done in a continuous mill, where each stand makes the bloom progressively smaller and longer. Billets can be either square or round. 7:23 The film lists the uses of billets: square billets can be rolled into rods for making wire, and round billets can be used for seamless steel tubes. 7:38 The film concludes by stating that billets, blooms, and slabs are the essential semifinished materials from which all steel products are ultimately made.

Transcription

[Music] Iron from the blast furnace is changed to steel in the open hearth furnace. When the open hearth furnace is tapped, the metal is ready to be cast into solid blocks of steel which are called ingots. The molten steel is poured or teamed into these large cast iron molds. Each of these holds about 13 tons of steel. Ingot molds usually taper slightly on the inside toward one end, wider at the bottom. This type is known as a big end down mold. Others are of the big end up type. [Music] Some have a top section insulated with fire brick. These are known as hot tops. Molds may be square, oblong, oval, or round. During teeming, small amounts of aluminum are added to control the amount of gas given off by the liquid steel as it cools in the ingot mold. Once the ingots have been poured, they are left where they are until the steel solidifies properly. When the ingots are ready, they are taken to the stripping bay where the molds are removed. The ingots are stripped by a crane which lifts the mold. The ingot is pushed out by a hydraulic plunger. [Music] [Music] Before the ingot can be rolled, it must be reheated. This is done in a furnace called a soaking pit. [Music] After several hours, the ingot has been heated through and through to proper rolling temperature. When the ingot is ready for rolling, it is placed on a buggy, the pot car, which takes it to the primary rolling mill. Ingots may be rolled on mills of various types. Many ingots are rolled into shapes with squarish sections called blooms. On a two high reversing mill like this, the hot steel is passed backward and forward between grooved rolls to form the bloom. In the threeh high mill, the top and bottom rolls turn in the same direction, the middle roll in the opposite direction. The bloom is passed through the bottom pair from one side, then raised to the level of the upper pair and passed through these from the other side. Blooms can be rolled into structural shapes and similar products. Sheets, strips, or plates are rolled from slabs. The horizontal rolls for slabs are plain. A pair of upright rolls roll the edges of the slab. The slab is passed backward and forward through the mill. In plants where it is required to roll both slabs and blooms on the same mill, a third type known as the high lift mill is used. For milling blooms, there are grooved passes. Slabs are rolled between the flat sections of the rolls. The edges are rolled by turning the slab on edge. The high lift housing allows the rolls to be separated far enough to take the width of the slab. The pot carries the ingot from the soaking pit to the rolling mill. The operation of one of these giant mills requires great skill. If the ingot is to be rolled correctly, after a pass, it can be turned by massive steel fingered manipulators. The ingot is then sent through the rolls again. All the movements of the rolls and the ingot are controlled by an operator in a pulpit above the mill. [Music] The rolling does more than just squeeze and lengthen the ingot. The pressure of the rolls flattens and stretches the original grains which reform as a close grained structure giving improved characteristics to the steel. Rolling has changed the ingot into a long slab. Before the slab is cut to length, the surface defects are burned off by oxy acetylene flames in an automatic scarfing machine. The slab is then cut into suitable lengths before going to the slab storage yard. In case of blooms, many are further rolled to make another type of semi-finish product called billets. Here a bloom is being rolled before moving to the billet mill. The billet mill is a continuous mill. Each stand making the bloom smaller and longer. Billets may be either round or square. Square billets may be rolled into round rods for making wire. Round billets may be used to make seamless steel tubes. Both types of billets are used to make many other steel products. Billets, looms, and slabs are semifinished materials from which all steel products ultimately are rolled or forged. [Music]

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